The Color of Chaos
by ConfessionsofaRebel
Summary: Fem!Tony: No one knows who Iron Man is and Natasha Stark has continued to remain an enigma to the rest of the Avengers. But Bruce Banner always likes a challenge. Like all scientists, he was always curious of the new and unknown.
1. Chapter 1: The Doctor

**Plot Twist: I end up posting it earlier. **

**But for those of you who are new, I would HIGHLY recommend reading "A Terrible Privilege" before even touching this fic. It has a lot of the basis for my version of Natasha Stark and such. And you will be incredibly confused if you don't read that first. Basically think of this as an AU to that story.**

**But anyways… Enjoy the first chapter!**

Abnormality. Bruce Banner was quite used to such things as _abnormalities._ He himself was a walking abnormality. It was normal for a scientist to tinker and play with different experiments. It was normal for a scientist to be curious. It was normal for a scientist to seek knowledge, knowing fully well of what the consequences may bring.

It was an abnormality that he himself would be exposed to such large amounts of gamma radiation.

But as Bruce Banner continued to look at the readings of his latest experiment, he mind wandered to a moment when he spoke with another. He was a man who tended to be certain when it came to his work, especially after the incident. So it never occurred to him that someone would possibly have the ability to change his mind on such a strong matter as _The Hulk._

His mind had doubt when he spoke privately with Natasha Stark.

It was before the invasion when they were working on locating the Tesseract. She had observed and concocted the theory that it was an abnormality in itself that he survived the exposure. That, in theory, the other guy had saved his life. It never occurred to him that such a nice sentiment might exist, from someone so reckless nonetheless.

For someone so small and seemingly frail, she didn't show fear around him. He had been accustomed to a certain environment where those around him walked cautiously, like a parent not wanting to wake up a normally fretful child. In stark contrast, she seemed to like the thrill, the idea of something exciting happening. His first impression of the young woman was clever. Definitely clever. An understatement if anything. He didn't know that many people who could master thermonuclear astrophysics in one night.

It was odd when Bruce thought about it. She was somewhat like he imagined and almost entirely different. Natasha Stark was a walking abnormality herself. She put herself out there blatantly and honest and he couldn't help but like that quality about her. She didn't hide what she thought and that was something refreshing for a guy who walked around people who tried to hide their fear in order to spare his feelings. Bruce sketched some more information down on his sheet of paper.

What perplexed Bruce Banner the most was that as honest as Natasha Stark was, she was only honest about public matters. Personal matters for her were something entirely different. Bruce could understand such a defense mechanism, but he couldn't help it. His hand reached for his cellphone.

Like all scientists, he was always curious of the new and unknown.

* * *

Natasha Stark sat alone in her lab, various machine parts were scattered in a specific area as she sat at a lab table not too far off. A holographic image of chess was floating in front of her as she moved a piece. "Checkmate, Jarvis." She said as she slumped more into her black chair. "Very good, Miss Stark. Might I suggest perhaps playing with a friend next?" The AI replied as she stared at the glowing images. She chuckling.

"I don't have any friends, Jarvis." She spun slowly in her chair, as if waiting to continue her response. "Pepper is on vacation with Rhodey. I've given Happy the time off too and so now I'm basically all alone to run the company once more. With the exception of you, Jarvis." She added with a light grin on her face. "Perhaps you could call in one of the Avengers to visit?"

Natasha swept her hand, pulling up all the Avenger files. "Capsicle and I aren't really on great terms enough to be chess buddies. The demigod is out of the question. And Dr. Banner…" She paused, actually considering the option. Under normal circumstance, she would have loved for the fellow genius to make his way over. However, the Avengers Initiative wasn't a normal circumstance. For the most part, they had all went their separate ways, waiting to be called upon once more if the world was in need for a group of remarkable people. "We didn't stay in contact…" She said dejectedly, throwing the files back into the folder on the screen. "Perhaps if you told them of your true identity, you'd be on closer terms. They see you and Iron Man as two separate entities completely." The AI argued, hoping to at least plant the idea in her mind.

"You know why I can't do that, Jarvis." She mumbled as she restarted the chess board again, making her first move. "I'm afraid not, Miss Stark." The opposing piece moved during his response. She sighed. "I'm not up for trusing anyone, Jarvis. Especially after the Obadiah crap. It's enough that Coulson and Fury know my dirty little secret. If the team knew, they'd be put in danger too. More so than usual and I'd rather not have the blood on my hands, kay? Okay. That's what I thought." She finished quickly as she moved her next piece.

"What do you think about calling Fury over for a lunch date?" She asked with fake hope up to the AI.

"I find that you might have better luck with Agent Coulson." She chuckled as the AI replied. "But speaking of Agent Coulson, he and company are currently on their way up to the main room…" Natasha frowned as she slipped on a sweater that sat idly on the table. "Security breach. I'll have to tell Pepper about it." She jumped off of her chair, making her way towards the upstairs rooms. "They are currently waiting in the lounge, Miss Stark."

"Thank you, Jarvis." She said expectantly as she rolled up her sleeves. "You know what I hate? Unexpected company. I should get a warning before I have to put on the sweater to cover this thing. It glows like the sun…" She said as she referenced the life source currently in her chest. She had a slight bit of hope that maybe the world might be in peril again. It would be a few minutes before Natasha would reach the lounge, leaving Phil Coulson to stand near the couch as Dr. Bruce Banner stood awkwardly stood near the bar and kitchen. "Maybe this wasn't a good idea. I'm sure she's busy. I appreciate the favor though-"

"Nonsense, Dr. Banner." Phil Coulson gave him a reassuring smile as he made his way towards the kitchen. "This is Stark we're talking about. She really hasn't anything better to do." He grasped at the nearby coffee handle finding freshly brewed coffee. He poured himself a cup and gestured the pot towards Bruce. "No thanks…" Bruce managed to say as he observed how at home Phil Coulson seemed. Bruce had long forgotten what it was like to have a home.

"To be frank and off the record, Dr. Banner…" Coulson took a sip of his coffee as Bruce replied. "Bruce, please." He interrupted before letting the agent continue. The two sauntered over to a nearby couch and sat down. "I worry about Miss Stark. As odd as it is to say, she's not the most sociable person. At least not like she used to be." Phil blew on his coffee a bit, finally deciding that it was a bit too hot to the touch. "I'm not really up to date on my tabloids, Agent Coulson. I read her file during the invasion but it was pretty vague. World leader in mechanical engineering, took over the company at age 21. She was kidnapped to Afghanistan, but even that was vague. Nothing too peculiar." Bruce chuckled as he took off his glasses.

"It's Phil, while we're off the record." He smiled. His face turned slightly dark; his words were subtle enough to explain but also to hide the truth. "She's changed since her time in Afghanistan. She hasn't been much of a people person since then. And currently she's sent her only three friends off to do live their lives relaxing for however long. She's been a bit alone and could use the company."

"I see…" Bruce said, contemplating his words briefly. "I doubt how you can see, Dr. Banner, without your glasses on. But, granted, you can probably see better than Fury. So that's still a plus." Bruce and Coulson turned to see her leaning against the wall. Ripped jean shorts and a baggy sweater. "Nice to see you bundled up and cozy, Miss Stark." Phil sent a mocking smile in her direction. "Haha. Very funny." She muttered sarcastically as she walked towards the two. Bruce caught on that their dialogue was something of an inside joke for the two of them. "But besides mocking me, to what do I owe the pleasure of a SHIELD agent and a fellow scientist sitting in my lounge?" She sat on the edge of the couch, her legs extending to stretch slightly.

"We thought you could use the company, Stark. And if I recall, you did mention to Dr. Banner that facilities would be open for him to use." Coulson raised an eyebrow in her direction. "I did indeed. Like I said, it's Candyland for people like us."

Her voice had lost any sarcastic or snarky intonation it usually had and was replaced with something a bit more genuine. It was a sincerity that Bruce wasn't used to, but it was nice to hear it. The way she said it. _People like us._ It made Bruce all the more curious as to how she could see him in such a light when she had no idea of the chaos that had been interwoven through his life. "If you two are settled, I think I'll take my leave." Coulson stood up, mug still in hand. "Mind you, Dr. Banner, she's a bit of trouble to babysit." Coulson gave Natasha wryly smile as she raised an eyebrow.

"Love you too, Coulson." She muttered sarcastically enough for him to hear. "_Color my life with the chaos of trouble._" Bruce said aloud without realizing it. Natasha snapped to attention, unsure of what he had said. "Pardon?"

"It's nothing." He smiled in reply.

**I can't decide whether I want to name this "A Stark Contrast" "The Color of Chaos" or "People Like Us". What do you guys think?**

**I have a few ideas for this plot line but I don't know how long it'll go. I will, of course, continue to update A Terrible Privilege, seeing as how that's coming near to the end. I'll post a chapter of that at some point, then ch 1 of a Fem!Tony/Loki fic, and then I'll update the this fic. It'll be a pattern.**

**In this one, I'll be focusing a lot on Bruce as opposed to Natasha, since I think I covered her pretty okay in ATP. Also, I'll be developing Coulson, Clint, and Romanoff in these side fics! **


	2. Chapter 2: Close Relations

**So we're sticking with "The Color of Chaos." When I wrote the first chapter I was listening to The Smiths and their song had that lyric and I thought it suited the pairing of Fem!Tony/Bruce.**

**Some of you are already confused about why I named fem!Tony "Natasha Stark." I explained it in my "A Terrible Privilege" story so I'm just going to copy and paste that explanation here.  
In the comic-verse, Reed Richards comes across an alternate universe called Earth 3490. In this universe, Tony Stark was not born a man, but instead, a woman by the name of Natasha Stark. In this universe, Natasha Stark and Captain America actually get married and end up preventing a few crucial catastrophes from happening and etc. So in conclusion, officially by comic book standards, fem!Tony is officially named Natasha Stark.**

**Agent Natasha Romanoff will be referred to as: Agent Romanoff, Tasha, and or just Romanoff. Fem!Tony will be referred to as: Natasha, Nat, and or Stark.**

"You're stuff's been moved upstairs, don't worry. " She paused. "How long has it been since you've had a calm house to live in?" Natasha asked as she sat upside down on the couch, staring at him with her ever so big eyes. "It's been a while. But I doubt you'll keep your promise on keeping it a calm environment." He waited momentarily as she realized his reference. "You wouldn't have come if you couldn't handle pointy things." She grinned widely.

"You're right. I wouldn't have."

There was a silence between the two as Natasha continued to look through the tablet in her hand. Bruce observed her in that brief moment. Natasha Stark in her native environment. He blinked, and realized his statement was wrong. Her native habitat wasn't in a lounge.

It was in a lab.

"How long have you been around pointy things?" He slid his hands in his pockets, scanning the large window and glancing down at the city. The room was silent compared to the chaotic mess down below Stark Tower. "Since as long as I remember. Howard didn't let me off easy. We're Starks. We have Iron in our backbone. It makes us strong enough to handle all the pointy things. He made it a family motto and as much as I hate to admit it, I've sort of followed suit." She didn't look up, choosing to continue scrolling through her tablet as she tipped her hat with that comment.

Bruce chuckled as a key point of information about Natasha Stark flew over his head unnoticed for the time being. "I can't imagine you as a kid. I've heard some pretty interesting stories though." He turned towards Natasha, meeting her gaze once more. "And pray tell, Dr. Banner, what have you heard about the Merchant of Death?" She shut off the tablet as an intriguing smile played on her lips. Her head was still upside down as she lay on the couch. Her long hair fell over in waves against the couch and onto the floor.

"It depends on who you ask."

* * *

"I heard she once slept with all the Maxim Men."

"Yeah, that's true. What about developing an AI before she was ten?"

"Also true. But might I ask why you two are gossiping?"

Coulson stood at the doorway in a SHIELD building; a folder under his arm and a coffee in hand as he stared at the two agents. "It's not really gossip as much as it is curiosity." Agent Barton said as he lifted his feet onto the table. "Romanoff even worked for the genius and she was still able to keep her secrets secret. From a spy. You can't tell me that's not suspicious, Coulson." Coulson took a seat and stirred his coffee slowly, a small grin forming on his face. "Everyone has their secrets, Barton, just as you two have yours." He eyes them momentarily, taking another sip.

"Difference being we're spies and she's not." Romanoff replied as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Miss Stark is a private civilian meaning she's allowed to have her own secrets." Coulson replied briefly, looking through his folder of papers. "Which means you and Fury know whatever it is she's hiding…" Barton smirked, causing Coulson to smile once more. "I'm not at liberty to speak of such things, Agent Barton. However, if you're really that concerned, you could just ask her." Coulson raised an eyebrow at the two of them, earning a smirk from both of them.

The group sat in silence for an hour. Barton had pulled out blueprints from a building he had recently scoped out. Natasha had been mumbling comments for him to hear as she circled a few areas with a pencil. It took Coulson a bit longer to finally get up and leave. At the sound of the door sliding closed, Barton spoke up. "How are we going to do this?"

"What? Figure out Stark?" She replied with a tone of mischief in her voice. She underlined a few more things. "Besides, it's been a few months. I think The Avengers could have a little reunion." She looked up, giving him a playful look. "Ohhh, you have a plan. I love it when you scheme. It's just like before." Barton grinned at Romanoff, moving next to her a bit closer. "It'll be just like Budapest." Her red lips formed a smile.

"Just like Budapest?" Her voice lowered a bit below normal.

"Just like Budapest."

* * *

They had taken the conversation down into the lab. "You're a lot different than what the tabloids say." Bruce mentioned as he slid through graphs on a holographic screen. Natasha wasn't too far away as she worked on holographic blueprints for a new suit. "Sorry I'm not living up to expectation Doctor. I didn't think you'd be a man to read things like that." She smirked, continuing to focus on the plans in front of her. "I didn't mean to say that I thought they were right." He added with a tight smile. Natasha looked up.

"I didn't say they were exactly wrong either." She raised an eyebrow before looking back at her plans. "You're a strange one. I'll give you that. One moment you're sleeping with over half the eligible bachelors in New York City, the next you've apparently gone celibate. There's a variable there, something that happened that made everything change. Question is, what was it?" Bruce stopped what he was doing completely, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning gently against the stable work table.

"Getting kidnapped can do that kind of thing to you." She spread her hands out, expanding the image of her suit to give a full view. Bruce nodded slowly. "But see, the thing is, I think that's only a part of the variable. There's more to it. There's always more to it." She snickered in response. "Why so curious, Doctor?" Bruce paused, thinking of an appropriate response. He knew why he was questioning. We wanted to know why she was the way she was. There had to be something that made her tick. Anything that could possibly give him the relief that she wasn't just right all the time. That she wasn't fearless 100% of the time. She had to be human. He wanted to know what made Natasha Stark human.

"That's like asking what the Captain's favorite colors are." He retorted, earning a smile from Natasha. The two worked in silence once more until Natasha couldn't stand it. "I had a problem trusting after my kidnapping. It's the reason why Iron Man is around now." Her voice was leveled, not pitching or ranging in any form of emotion.

Iron Man. Bruce had almost completely forgot about the one known as Iron Man. He was an Avenger along with the assassins, Captain, himself and Thor. With Natasha consulting. But Iron Man seemed to disappear as soon as a battle was over, leaving Bruce often forgetting he was regular. "You and Iron Man…" A spark of amusement was in his eye as he looked up from his work. "Personal body guard. I got a bit careful when I returned from Afghanistan." She lifted an electrical circuit from behind the computer system, gently nudging it towards the wall of circuitry. A spark followed shortly, giving a pinch to her hand. "Not entirely, of course."

"Where is he now?" He asked as he handed her a pair of rubber gloves. She rolled her eyes, putting them on anyway to humor him as she mumbled something about being just like Pepper. "Off and about. Living life, having fun, that kind of thing. I only call him in when it's needed." Vagueness. Bruce added to the list that 'Iron Man' was also a touchy subject for her. "Miss Stark, Director Fury is requesting the Avengers go take care of a minor disturbance downtown." Jarvis said interrupting the conversation. Natasha looked up and then at Bruce. "Is Iron Man required, Jarvis?"

"Director Fury stated he was, Miss Stark."

His lips formed a tight frown as he nodded slowly. "You'd better go fix that, Dr. Banner. It's getting late." She replied, not forgetting to add the extra snark. "I guess I'll be back soon…" He slid his hands into his pockets, turning around briefly to look back at Natasha. She continued her work as if unfazed. He shrugged before turning around again to leave.

* * *

The team wouldn't be done till very early into the morning.

"She might be asleep so let's keep it down…" Bruce muttered under his breath the rest of the team as they entered the tower. The lounge was dark as Bruce turned on a lamp. "There are rooms upstairs, we can crash here tonight for the time being." Romanoff added, a yawn escaping her lips as she led Clint and Thor towards the elevator. "I'll be with you guys later. I left my glasses in the lab." Bruce waved them off as he took the initiative to go downstairs. He was shocked to see the lights still on as he walked in.

The lab was silent as Bruce sauntered in. He looked around briefly, a sweatshirt had been thrown on the table, his glasses were near by. A note written in sharpie was next to them.

"Relax a little. You should take off the glasses a bit more too. –NS." A subtle smile played on his face as he held the note. "At least she went off to sleep." Bruce said to himself silently as he walked out of the room.

"Where's Stark?" Clint said as he took a sip of orange juice the next morning. His hair was a clear indicator of night of long sleep. Romanoff stood near the toaster, prepping some toast for the two of them. Thor had a few poptart boxes sitting near him. Bruce stood by the door, he felt anxious.

"She's not in her room." He said softly, racking his brain as to wear she could be. "Classic Stark. She probably went off drinking or sleeping into the night." Clint chuckled a bit as he ate a muffin from the basket located on the counter. "Relax, Doc. She'll come around. And SHIELD keeps a pretty strong eye on everyone on the team. They'll know exactly where she is." The Captain replied for the first time, taking a seat on the couch. All Bruce could do was sigh.

A few miles outside of town in a deserted field, under a tree sat Natasha Stark. The helmet was off as were parts of her armor. Her hair was a mess, blood dripped down from a cut on her forehead. A minor injury compared to the burn on her arm. Natasha was in a light sleep, having finally found unconsciousness after having landed herself out of sight.

Or so she thought.

"You really know how to make a landing, Miss Stark." She flinched at the new sound; it contrasted against the sound of the wind in the grass and in the birds in the trees. "Thanks, Phil. Really appreciate it." She mumbled with sleep encasing every word. Coulson stooped down, opening his brief case with medical supplies. She raised an eyebrow. "Is there anything you can't do?" She grinned, her eyes showing more awakeness than they had shown before. Coulson sighed as he began to apply aid to her burn. "You worry me sometimes." All hints of mocking were lost in his voice.

Phil Coulson was a very serious man, with twists of humor every now and again. He chose to stay close, but at the same time he chose to stay far away. The details of his job made it difficult to remain in close relations to anyone. "It takes a lot to worry Phil Coulson." She smiled lightly, hoping to lighten the mood again. "It does indeed, Natasha."

It'd be a lie to say that Phil Coulson had become attached to each of the Avengers in a different way. For Romanoff and Barton, they were his close friends. Even Fury to an extent was a close friend. Thor was a strange relationship; the next door neighbor he never really had. With Bruce Banner, he admired the man. He knew the stresses of certain situations and applauded the man for being able to maintain that composure. He sympathized with him. And with Natasha Stark, she was like the daughter he never really had.

The incredibly reckless and stupid daughter he never had.

"You're going to get yourself killed one of these days." He bandaged the burn as best as he could, giving her some relief. "Hasn't stopped me before, has it?" She blinked up at him as he gave her a small smile. He stood up, and began to pick up the discarded pieces of her armor from the ground. His car was close to them as he walked over and placed them into the back seat. "Here's what's going to happen. I'm going to dismantle you, you're going to get in my car, and you're going to tell me what happened. Because I had a hell of a time trying to track the GPS in your suit."

Natasha stared silently at the man for a moment smirking. "You make a pretty convincing case, Coulson." She swallowed roughly, only realizing how dry her mouth really was. "It's my job, Miss Stark." He placed his hand behind her back, her arm around his shoulder as he walked her over to the car to dismantle her. He opened the car door and she sat down carefully, her legs hanging out. "Or I could tell you what happened while we dismantle my baby?" She shrugged, pursing her lips as Coulson didn't respond; only concentrating on looking for the manual mechanisms that allowed for the suit to come off. "Doom came out for a little fun, his bots have enhanced since the last time we saw them." She paused as he got the lower leg part off. She worked on getting her other arm piece off.

"Bruce wasn't needed, but he was on standby; he was a second pair of eyes for Hawk." The sound of her arm gauntlet unclicking made her stop, the relief of having the heavy metal off of her was more than enough to cause her come comfort. "They damaged my thrusters, shot fire at me, that kind of thing. Took a good lot of them out before I steered the suit away. I crashed here." She briefly motioned to the field around them. "Why not crash in the city where it'd be easier to find you?" She asked softly before removing both of the low leg armor pieces.

"I would have to deal with the team and medical wards. I'd rather not have my identity plastered across the big screen, thank you very much." Her response earned a hardy laugh from Coulson as he accomplished getting the upper leg pieces of armor off. Natasha had gotten off her arm pieces as well, leaving only the chest plate.

"We'll have that off of you in a moment and we'll have you back in the tower in no time."

Natasha bit her lip, hoping to find a somewhat empty tower when she returned.

"Hey Coulson, nice to hear from you." Romanoff answered her phone casually, a tone she saved for only a few select people and missions. "Agent Romanoff, like wise. I'll be making a visit to Stark Tower shortly, how did the battle go yesterday?" Casual conversation. Romanoff was sure of it. Coulson knew everything there was to everything. Coulson always knew. "It's was fine, to say the least. We're missing Iron Man again though. And Stark. Do you know if they're together?" Romanoff cracked her neck as she waited for a reply. "I just had Iron Man and Stark had Headquarters, they were giving a briefing on yesterday's events. Nothing big." He replied nonchalantly, Natasha rolling her eyes as she listened to Romanoff and Coulson converse via speaker phone.

"She's with you then?" Romanoff's tone was doubtful at best. "She is indeed. Would you care to talk to her?" He looked briefly over at Natasha, nodding for her to talk. She sighed. "How's one of my favorite assassins doing?" She displayed her best snarky voice she could muster. She was tired and wanted to be alone, not conversing with people at all.

"You only know two assassins, Stark." She replied tiredly. "As far as you know." Natasha retorted with ease. The phone notably hung up after Stark's statement. "She's not a morning person." Coulson replied swiftly. Natasha took a sip of his coffee before replying. "Obviously." She mumbled to herself. Coulson chuckled softly to himself. "You really aren't a morning person either." He mentioned off handledly. "I'm not an anything kind of person. I don't like sleep. If I do end up sleeping, you can bet I won't like the blunt push that a dream or a nightmare wasn't reality."

"Right. How are those anyway?" His tone was soft, knowing the topic he was entering was somewhat sketchy at best. Only a few people knew of the secrets behind Natasha Stark. The first to know was Rhodey. Natasha had been wandering around the desert when he found her. He hugged her tightly, enough for Natasha to hug back with the greatest relief she could possibly feel. Pepper Potts knew as soon as they were on their way to the press conference. Happy Hogan knew, but it was implied. Phil Coulson and Nick Fury knew when she told them of her escape from the cave. "They've been kept at bay…" It sounded weak, a tone she usually wouldn't lose unless she were in the company of close relations. "But thank you for asking anyways. It's nice to hear someone care."

"Anytime. I'm only a phone call away."

**Plot twist: I update this instead of ATP…**

**Sorry, I just got really into this chapter. I have 4 pages of ATP Ch 15 done, meaning 2 or 3 pages more. I might even update mid week if I can!**

**A few notes: I'm just really tired, I have a competition coming up soon and I've been prepping my entries for it and I have exams this week. Ugh. I hate school. I'm still thinking about Fem!Tony/Loki plot but rest assured, it will exist at some point. I've been so consumed with theater stuff. But anyway, I hope you enjoyed this one! I'm trying to build Coulson up in this fic too. :) **


	3. Chapter 3: Accidents

"You haven't been home all night."

Natasha stood in the kitchen; stilled and somewhat silent. She had presumed there hadn't been anyone home. She did have the right mind to wear a sweatshirt and baggy jeans to cover up the bruises and the burn. She turned around slowly. "Observant as ever, Doctor Banner." She replied nonchalantly fiddling with the coffee machine. The thing was always broken. "Your bed wasn't made and the lab was untouched since I left it earlier." He added, hoping to get more of a response. Natasha continued with her coffee endeavors. His question was implied: where had she been?

"It's a secret, Doctor. Most fun things are." The smell of coffee reached her as she poured herself a cup of the fresh brewed liquid. "She was probably out partying." Clint Barton walked into the room, a kick in his step that was unusual for the morning. Natasha winced as she attempted to move herself to a seat. She stopped not a millisecond in, realizing the attempt was useless if her pain was noticeably visible. The bruises on her legs were the probable cause of such pain.

Bruce noticed, his eyes scrutinizing her actions.

"I'm surprised, Legolas, you should know to expect the unexpected." She sipped from her coffee, giving him a playful look. Banner remained calm, keeping still in his position on the couch. The coffee table in front of him had half a piece of toast and a muffin. A lukewarm cup of tea sat idly beside it. "Hey Clint, I think Romanoff was looking for you earlier. Something about briefing and Budapest." Clint's eye's perked up at Bruce's statement. "On it. Thank you. And Stark, learn to party a little less, we need you up to par for missions." He winked in her direction before taking his leave. Bruce and Natasha were alone again.

"Maybe you should take a seat, Natasha." Bruce ushered to the empty space on the couch. Natasha swallowed hard. "No, no I'm good. Perfectly content with standing here." Bruce sighed, eyeing her before getting up slowly. Natasha's ears perked at the sound of his approaching figure. He stood next to her casually. "Care for some coffee?" She held out the pot for him to take if he did want coffee. Bruce paused momentarily before a soft smile curved on his lips. He placed his hand over hers, holding the pot handle, but not letting go. Natasha frowned, not sure of what he was doing before he raised his other hand in a quick motion to roll up the sleeve of her sweatshirt. She flinched in pain as the fabric rubbed against the large burn. Bruce tightened his grasp on the handle and her hand in order to stop the pot from dropping.

He raised an eyebrow at the large burn before turning his gaze on her. "I think it's safe to say this wasn't fun." His tone was stern as a nervous wave flash ed across her eyes. "These were tended to only somewhat, but not enough for a full recovery…" He pulled the pot from her hands, allowing Natasha to have control of her arm again. "A little bit of an accident. It's a long and complicated story."

"I know a thing or two about accidents."

As Natasha looked up and met his gaze, she felt a strange sense of being unshielded as she look into Banner's eyes. During her time on the helicarrier, she had observed them every so often, taking into account how they reached certain shades of brown.

His eyes were dark brown at that moment, pensive. Many people had looked at her observantly, trying to figure out whatever had been going on in the workings of her mind, but none had been so penetrative. "Shall we play, Doctor?" Natasha hoped that she may be able to divert any question with a simple snarky attitude. It would prove to be difficult, even she knew that. It wasn't every day she was going in a battle of wits with someone as intelligent as Doctor Banner.

"You've said that once before." He smiled lightly as the two walked slowly towards the lab. With every stumble she had, Bruce was there to catch her.

The two sat down comfortably on the couch located in her lab. Bruce had taken to giving her a full check-up, noting the amount of injuries she had. Under normal circumstance, Natasha Stark would have objected to such treatments, but there was something about Bruce that she couldn't say no to. After all, in a strange sort of way, they were one in of a kind. She felt his hand graze gently down her thigh leaving a trail of skin that longed for much more contact. His hand was warmer than expected. "Is it tender here?" He asked softly, not noticing her faint disconnect from reality as her mind wandered towards _other_ things. Things that wouldn't possibly ever happen.

"Somewhat." Her voice somewhat faltered, she shook her head gently attempting to erase the image of Banner and herself partaking in something far more than a check-up. He took out a stethoscope from his bag when he paused, noting the sweatshirt she wore. Natasha stared fearfully before recovering. "I'm cold. Taking my pulse is just as effective…" She pressed her lips firmly together as Bruce frowned, noting the evasive tone that she unconsciously had. Bruce slid the stethoscope back into his back and opted for taking her pulse. His fingers pressed down into her wrist, feeling for a pulse. "It's there all right." He mentioned almost as if to himself. Natasha smirked bitterly. "A surprising result."

Bruce looked up curiously, wondering what would make her place a double meaning in her words. He didn't question it though. "What are your actually sleeping habits?" The question that broke the ice. Natasha gave him a quizzical brow as she thought of an honest answer. "I can't sleep. I don't, usually. 3 hours on a good day…" He raised a flashlight to one of her eyes as he kept her face still with his other hand carefully holding her face. "I don't need to tell you how unhealthy that is." He lightly chuckled as he checked the other eye. Natasha gave him a soft smile.

"I can take care of myself, Bruce. But thanks." Bruce reluctantly let his hand drift away from the corner of her face; the absence leaving a burning sensation on his hand. He paused momentarily, taking in the feeling before treating some of her cuts that unbeknownst to him, Coulson had not seen. "I would normally ask how you got these, but I get the strange feeling you won't tell me…" He grimaced as he met her large doe like eyes. She sighed, but it was sincere. "You're right, I wouldn't tell you." She paused, an apologetic look reaching her face. "I'm sorry."

When Coulson had driven her home, they talking about other things. Like the idea of telling others about her alter identity. If not the whole team, at least one person. One reason she didn't tell anyone was because she feared getting people involved in things they didn't need to be would put them in unnecessary danger. The other reason, the reason she didn't admit aloud but Coulson suspected, was that she couldn't find it possible to fully trust someone. And in that aspect, Coulson felt bad for her.

"It's perfectly fine." His voice was calm, as usual. It was a calmness that she wasn't used to. She liked it though. "We all have our secr-" Bruce's reply was cut short as an explosion erupted from the lab next to lab they were in. It was Bruce's private lab. Debris was scattered everywhere as smoke began to fill the area. Natasha heard a ringing in her ear as she opened her eyes again, only to see Bruce shielding her from whatever had caused the ruckus. His breathing was heavy as he too opened his eyes. A shot of anxiety coursed through Natasha's body, not only because of the closeness the two were in, but because as Natasha assessed the situation, the green in Bruce's eyes were spreading. "Oh no… not again. Bruce, you've got to stay with me." Bruce threw himself off of her as he thrashed about. It was painful to watch.

Natasha had noticed that at the Chitauri invasion, he had learned somewhat of how to control when he hulked out or not. Somewhat being the key word. "Bruce…?" She stumbled backwards, knowing very well of the what was to come. "Jarvis, I need one of the suits!" She yelled as Bruce continued to transform. She estimated that she only had about a minute max. "But Miss, some of the suits aren't-"

"I don't care just get me one now!" She stumbled forward as the Hulk finally took control, the yell he emitted was loud enough to possible break the sound barrier. "Damn, Bruce. No wonder I woke up that one time…" She muttered to herself as she waited for Jarvis' okay for the suit. Hulk smashed his hands into the ground, creating large dents. She ran for the suits as she saw a light go on in the back, signaling the okay for her to run. She ran through large covered areas in attempt to hide. "Jarvis, I need it now!" Without further response, pieces of one of her newer suits began to place themselves together around her frail bother. She grunted every so often as a metal piece might have struck her the wrong way. The last piece to go on was her helmet.

"Jarvis, I need you to hold off SHIELD and any other unwanted company." She ran towards where the Hulk was standing, prepared to defend, but not attack. "Hulk, I need you calm d-" Her eye widened as the Hulk grabbed the closest work table and threw it in her direction. The table smacked into, causing her to stumble back a bit. "I don't believe there's any use in talking to him, Miss Stark. The Hulk seems to be in a blind fury…" Jarvis said hesitantly as she began to dodge objects that he was throwing. "Is it because he hasn't come out for a while?" She jumped to the top of one her tables. She was hidden behind a silver shelf. She remained as still as she could. "That would appear to be the most probable reason."

Natasha stood still, thinking of ways to try and calm him down. She was about to set a steady pace around the lab to find him when she felt a heavy, hot breath against he armor. She turned her head abruptly, finding the hulk looking steadily at her. Only a second passed for him to grab the suit by the arm and fling her against the wall. She felt the heavy grip loosen around her arm as her line of sight faded from black to blurry. "Shit, this is how Loki must have felt…" She muttered as she tried to blink her vision back to normal. She looked at the readings for her suit, the screen flickered every so often, meaning her helmet wasn't the safest to be wearing at the moment. From what she saw in the flickered chaos, her arm piece was damaged and needed to be removed entirely.

Jarvis, ahead of time, began to initiate the codes for removing the helmet at the gauntlet, each clicking in unison until the glove fell on the floor and she flung the helmet to the side. She felt some cuts on her hand but nothing to bad. Her vision having finally cleared, she couldn't find where Hulk had run off too. Her breathing was heavy as she took in the state of her lab. The half of the lab she stood had been completely destroyed, debris was scattered everywhere. "Big Guy! Where are you?" She yelled at the top of her lungs, only to receive a roar in response, with a large amount of footsteps running towards. She abruptly turned to her left, seeing the Hulk standing no less than two feet from her. They stood in a dead silent stare for what seemed like the longest time.

She stared up into his eyes, the green eyes that showed just a little bit of Bruce Banner. "Hey, come on now. You know me, right?" She said gently. His face frowned in confusion. "Natasha…is Tin Man?" He asked hesitantly, finally seeing through the blind rage. "Yeah. I'm Tin Man. I just… I haven't told anyone about it." He paused, giving her one of widest eyed stares she had ever been given. She approached the Hulk, placing her bare hand on the side of his face gently. "Natasha… Banner's friend." It wasn't a question. A statement. The Hulk's eyes began to slowly swirl back into the dark brown she had grown familiar with. Her breath caught in her throat as she heard the doors to the lab open. Her eyes quickly glanced over, seeing the figures of Coulson and Barton chatting nonchalantly. Just as he began to transform back into Bruce, Barton's mouth fell open, Coulson stood still, assessing the damage, not having known of such an incident that had been occurring.

Bruce had been laying in the debris unconscious and somewhat naked as Natasha held a somewhat fearful gaze, like the one a child would when being caught doing something wrong. "It's not what it looks like." She said quickly as Coulson frowned simultaneously. "Agent Barton, shield your eyes. This isn't appropriate for you to see." Coulson said as he lifted a hand up to Barton's eyes. "No way! This is what you've been hiding?!"

Coulson pinched the bridge of his nose as Natasha sighed heavily, glancing down at the now unconscious Bruce Banner.

Bruce Banner remembered scattered pieces of memory during his Hulk outs. They came in waves and flashes; pieces of a puzzle that he had to put together on his own. Usually they were insignificant. Images of him destroying something. But this time around, Bruce was perplexed by what he saw. He questioned whether his memory was playing tricks on him.

He felt somewhat lethargic as his conscious came too. He felt a warm hand slowly running fingers through his hair in caring manner. The sensation was odd to feel after Hulking out. His eyes squinted open, adjusting to the light as his vision focused more. Natasha Stark sat above him her face was weary as she sat beside him in jeans and a sweatshirt. She felt the movement and glanced up at him hopeful. "Hey." It was a soft greeting. He paused, looking around him as he felt a rush of nausea come over him. She didn't mover her hand from the side of his face.

Natasha Stark was in rare form and even she knew it. It was odd for her to care for another human being that wasn't Coulson, Pepper or Rhodey. She had been genuinely concerned about Bruce. And the only reason she could think of was because he had begun to grow on her. He had seen her as something a bit more, she just wasn't sure what that was quite yet.

"Did I hurt anyone?"

His voice shook somewhat, it was hesitant, somewhat broken. "No. You didn't hurt anyone. Don't worry about it." She pressed her lips firmly together as a rush of relief hit Bruce immediately after she said it. He looked around again, flashes of memory were coming and going. He looked up at her in a perplexing way. She sat next to him in a sweater and jeans, but it wasn't how he remembered it.

As the Hulk, he vaguely remembered the image of Natasha in the Iron Man suit and he wasn't sure what to make of it.

**I'm just… I don't even know anymore with updates. Loki/fem!Tony has 4 pages done. ATP is done. I just have a few more sentences to do. And then there's this.**

**I just really want to sleep. I hope you enjoyed it though (: **


	4. Chapter 4: Simplicity

Natasha had laid herself on the couch; she stared at the ceiling with utmost intensity. "You can't tell anyone Barton. Not even your girlfriend." She sounded annoyed, which would be understatement. She was incredibly annoyed at the situation. The Hulk knew who she was, and she wasn't sure if that meant Bruce knew. And Barton knew who she was, that was a completely different problem all together.

"I can't tell anyone? I find out the biggest secret and I can't tell anyone about. This sucks! And Romanoff is not my girlfriend." Natasha rolled her eyes turning to lean on her shoulder. "Coulson?" She asked of him to enter the conversation. He took a calm breath. "This is a secret that SHIELD has been keeping and it needs to remain that way." His voice was much calmer than Natasha's. More than likely because he had been used to handling such situations. Coulson had seen a lot in his day and Natasha Stark knew that. "He acts as if he's done this before…" Clint smirked in her direction, not knowing of the phenomena that Phil Coulson had seen in his day.

As Pepper Potts had left the room momentarily to check on the press conference that was covering the Iron Man incident with Obadiah, Coulson had held her hand tightly in reassurance that everything would be okay. And in a rare turn of events, she believed him.

He had kept in eye on Bruce Banner during his rampage through Harlem, much to the surprise of most.

He had kept close ties in New Mexico as the small town in the middle of nowhere was introduced to the fact that Norse mythology was no longer mythology.

He was there on the scene when Captain America had been discovered in the ice. Natasha Stark had shown up for the occasion, even going as far as to give his hand a gentle squeeze of comfort.

"But what am I supposed to tell Tasha? We had this whole plan going where we were going to figure you out and this just ruins the whole thing!" He frowned once more. Natasha sat up slowly, taking a look down at her hands. The cuts had scabbed over, but she knew she couldn't let Bruce see them. "Well if I'm keeping this a secret, you have to tell me the whole thing." She paused, giving him a hesitant look. She glanced at Coulson, who gave her a shrug, signaling that it was up to her at that point. "If I'm lying to Tasha, I want to know what I'm lying about."

She looked down at her hands again, silence filled the room momentarily as she thought back. Thought back to everything that brought her to that one moment. She looked up to find all the mocking humor lost in his eyes. She grimaced before slowly taking off her sweatshirt, revealing a button down polo. The arc reactor light was clearly visible. Clint blinked for a moment before looking her in the eye. "I wasn't the best person. I made a lot of mistakes." She began as Clint noted it was one of the few times that he had ever seen her be sincere with her feelings.

"I was kidnapped during a weapons showing in Afghanistan…"

* * *

Captain Steve Rogers sat on the couch located in his apartment. An untouched plate of chips and a sandwich sat in front of him on a coffee table. His apartment was comfy and nothing to extreme. It had blue hues across the area and was simple with décor. Steve had found the silence somewhat irritating. At first he had used his spare time to read, catch up on time and history and even to sketch some of the views he had from his building. But to a point it began to get repetitive for him and he hoped in some way that SHIELD would give him a new assignment.

His ray of hope came in the form of a black widow.

"Steve?" He heard the voice from behind the front door. There was a knock or two as well. Steve got up and reached the door before she could call his name again. "Agent Romanoff." He greeted with a light smile. "Evening. I have a message from SHIELD for you, Captain." She smiled softly. Steve moved aside to gesture for her to come in. Natasha took in the simplicity of his apartment and made note of it. In a way, it made her feel a bit comfortable. It was rare that she had the chance to come face to face with simplicity.

"I have some coffee in the pot. Fresh." He offered, not really used to having guests. Natasha shook her head but smiled in thanks. The two walked into the living room where the two sat across from each other. "Director Fury has proposed the idea that the Avengers should bond more together instead of just living separate." Steve immediately frowned in somewhat of a confusion. "We ought to be a team both outside the field and on it. Fury suggested that we move into Stark Tower. Dr. Banner has already made residence there." Steve quirked an eyebrow, something obviously was being processed through his mind.

"No offense, Agent Romanoff, but we aren't exactly the most compatible off the field. "He chuckled with slight remorse. Natasha couldn't help but agree somewhat. "It's worth a shot though, yes?" Steve paused, assessing the chances of something even remotely working out.

With Romanoff and Barton, he could hold a friendship, if not at least an acquaintance. They respected him and he respected them. Personally, he didn't know a thing about either of them. He had only her the vaguest of things, such as how Romanoff had been trained at a young and Clint joined SHIELD during his youth. Steve also couldn't tell if they were together or just close friends. He was never really good and deciphering relationships. With Thor, the god could pack a punch and off the field, he seemed like a nice enough guy to talk to, the neighbor down the street willing to help with pretty much anything.

Bruce Banner was someone that made him feel intimidated. As much as Steve hated to admit it, recent events made him conclude he was a man who passed judgment far more quickly than he should, but Steve always got the vibe of uneasy tension whenever him and the man were in the same room. Deep down, he was sure Bruce was a good man, but his judgment was being passed as Bruce giving off the air of a false security and Steve hated to admit that he sided more with the latter. And then there was Natasha Stark. Steve could possibly write a book on what he thought about Natasha Stark. He was somewhat confused about her, but his general confusion came to who she was as a person. One moment she was obnoxious, the next she was serious. The same with Iron Man, only Iron Man seemed to have a habit of being a selfish asshole half the time and the next he's committing noble acts in the name of humanity. He sighed, thinking about how all the points he made were exactly the reason why he should agree to moving in. He knew nothing about his teammates when he should.

He gave a hesitant smile and nodded, Agent Romanoff returning the sentiment before texting something into her phone. More than likely a confirmation.

* * *

Natasha Stark sat silently in the lab. It had been three days since the accident and she had decidedly locked herself up in order to avoid everyone and everything. It had been three days since she had told Barton her story and since her nightmares had been lurking just beneath the surface. The lab was dark as she sat in her chair. The arc reactor glow being the only light in her area. "I wonder what he thinks of it…" She muttered to herself silently, partially hoping it was unheard but also needing a confirmation. "Of what, Miss?" Jarvis replied cautiously, knowing very well his creator was in a fragile state. She always was, but she had long learned how to hide such things.

"The arc reactor. Iron Man. All of it." Her finger gently rubbed against the metal edge before she placed her hand back in her lap. She glanced at the clock, it midnight. "There is a possibility that he doesn't know, Miss. He saw you in his Hulk state. There's no known data that he clearly remembers what occurs when he transforms… " Jarvis trailed off, knowing the situation was bothering her to no end. If she were to be honest, everything she did was compensation for her faults in the past. Her failures with her father, the blood on her ledger. So in some slight way, she felt ashamed and the arc reactor was the constant reminder. Bruce's lack of appearance even to check up on her scared her in the way that she thought she might have lost someone worth being friends with, all because she couldn't find the courage to tell him on her own terms.

She ignored the hope Jarvis was trying to offer. "What's been going on upstairs?" She asked suddenly whilst turning on a lamp nearby. "It appears Captain Rogers has permanently moved in, as have both Agents Barton and Romanoff. All upon Director Fury's orders, though." She frowned at the last part of the sentence. "Thor is currently in New Mexico with Miss Foster but plans on visiting the tower. And Dr. Banner seems to have not been in the tower since early this morning." Natasha paused as her frowned turned from annoyed to worrisome. "Since morning…" She muttered to herself as she quickly jumped from her seat, grabbing a coat before leaving from her private exit. She reached the streets and found it to be quiet enough that she could hear her own thoughts, cars still drove by and lights still lit up the city. She wore a black leather windbreaker and tight jeans with comfy sneakers.

Wherever Bruce was, she was willing to look for him all night.

She continued to walk through the streets somewhat aimlessly until she realized she didn't really have a clue as to where the fellow scientist might go. In normal circumstances, she'd ask herself if she were Bruce, where would she go, but that wasn't really a smart thing to do.

If she were in Bruce's mindset, she'd go straight to a bar. There would be a TV, food, a table to sit at with no disturbance. It was plausible enough, but to what bar would he go to?

* * *

"It took me an hour and a half to find you." Bruce jumped slightly before looking up to see Natasha Stark, eyes tired and weary, sleeping having eluded her mind. Bruce sat at a table with a few empty glasses of an unknown substance, a few papers, two books and a plate with a half finished meal. Bruce didn't respond, avoiding eye contact as he vaguely gestured for her ot take a seat next to him. Bruce was confused at best and seeing her wasn't for the best. "Why aren't you sleeping this time?" He tried to keep his voice as normal as possible.

Natasha blinked, surprised at the comment. He took her pause as yet another implied answer from her, even though it wasn't. "Oh, right, secrets. Forgot those were a thing." Natasha opened her mouth slightly before shutting it, not knowing how to respond. She sat silently next to her as Bruce stared down at his papers aimlessly. He was concentrating more on the fact that Natasha Stark had become speechless.

He had made her speechless. Him of all people.

"So I'm not wrong. I saw what I saw…" He muttered as she heard it either way. She turned to sit properly in her chair, not really knowing how to go about it. The bar was unusually loud for two in the morning. People were still abundant but it felt as though she and Bruce were isolated in their little corner. Another piece of the puzzle had been added to his list of quirks about Natasha Stark. He had a mixture of emotions. He felt a little bit angry because she hadn't said anything about it. The injuries, the countless nights working on unknown projects, it explained everything and she hadn't said anything of it. He felt hurt because she hadn't told _him_ specifically about any of it. And he felt confused. Out of the seamless picture that made Natasha Stark's image, their appeared to be a small crack in the middle of the picture that, if pressed, could shatter everything within a moment's notice.

Natasha looked up and Bruce for the first time met her gaze. His eyes widened at the sincerity in her eyes. They weren't of the genius, billionaire playgirl philanthropist's; there were of a scared little girl. A few strands of hair had fallen across her face. "I really am sorry. But you can't shut me out. I hate it when I'm shut out. I… I can't even count the amount of times I've been shut out but if you shut me out I don't know what will happen." She voice cracked very subtly, but you had to be close enough to her to hear it. She swallowed hard. Bruce slowly moved his hand to gently place the strands of hair behind her ear. His hand didn't move. He didn't want it to move, but he needed it to move. With all the strength he had, he found it funny how he couldn't move his hand. She didn't push it away. "It's fine. Don't worry. I'm angry at you or – well actually I'm angry at how reckless you are but that's an entirely different story all together." He cracked a smile on her face as she pressed her lips together. Natasha felt an overwhelming guilt on her shoulders as she returned Bruce's thoughtful gaze. Outside of Coulson, Pepper and Rhodey, she hadn't seen that look on anyone else before. It was one of concern and care,

"I don't want you to take this the wrong way." Her voice was soft as Bruce slowly lowered his hand to his knee. They sat closely together. "I won't take it the wrong way." He responsed immediately. Bruce still saw the look of a small child in her eyes, fearful, cautious, unsure of what she was hearing or seeing. "…Why do you care so much?"

It was a loaded question that Bruce was hesitant to answer. He cared, that much was sure, but why did he care? Was it because she was his intellectual equal? Was it because she was different from all the other people he had come across in his time after the Hulk? Or was it because of something else entirely.

"You weren't afraid of me." He paused, noting her reaction was of subtle surprise. "Everyone I had been around was so controlled and cautious around me. Like a balloon about to burst. They made a Hulk room for me and then there you are. You come along without a care in the world, willing to provoke the _other_ guy and not only weren't you afraid of me, but you saw the better of him. Of both of us. I can't begin to explain how it felt to talk to someone who thought of me in such simplistic terms. It seemed, illogical for that to even happen. I needed to know you were real. What made you human because I didn't think I could handle the idea of you being this unflawed person." He took a deep breath, taking in her wide, inquisitive stare. A bitter smile reach her lips that made him feel unsettled.

Her hand reached for his as she got up without a word. He grabbed his stuff and followed her out of the bar, wondering what could possibly be going through her mind and to what her planned destination was. "Natasha, what's going on…" He asked hesitantly, unsure of what to say at that point. She stopped hesitantly on the sidewalk, they stood in front of a large building. Natasha didn't say anything momentarily, taking in the image of the building. Without realizing, she had begun to squeeze his hand in the short amount of time.

"Right there. Obadiah met with me outside of the car. It was right after I came home from Afghanistan." He looked from her to the building again, only to see she was right. He had seen the news footage from her otherwise vague file. He recalled Pepper Potts stepping outside of the car with Natasha. Happy Hogan wasn't far behind when they met up with a bald man who greeted her happily. He looked back to Natasha and saw a broken stare. "When I was little, I never got along with dad. He was one of the worst people you could meet." A bitter edge oozed from her tone at the mention of Howard Stark. "The man Rogers knew and the man I knew were entirely different people. And you know, when he brought Obadiah into the picture, he became kind of like the father I never had. I trusted him. He took care of me and everything…"

She paused briefly before gently tugging him with her towards the doors. It immediately slid open for her as they entered an odd looking facility. Within the giant room, the middle held something similar to what the Iron man had in his- her chest. "The arc reactor. This room was what held one of the earlier prototypes. It works as an energy source and a giant magnet." He took her eerie silence as a sign that something far more serious had taken place where they stood. "Nat, what happened …?" She turned slowly to him, her eyes were dull and her lips formed a tight frown. "Obadiah ordered the hit on me. They were supposed to kill me. I was in a Humvee in Afghanistan when someone shot at us. I got out of the car and ran behind something for cover. I turned and saw a weapon with my name on it right next to me. The blast struck me hard, through the chest." She let go of his hand, the cold air rushing to his fingertips as her warmth lingered. She unzipped her jacket and tapped at the middle of her chest. Bruce's eyes widened at the metal sound that emitted around them when she did that.

She slowly began to undo the buttons of her polo shirt, just enough that edges of her bra could be seen, but more importantly the arc reactor was now prominent and in full view as the light was shed onto their surrounding area.

"You know, I've got a cluster of shrapnel, trying every second to crawl its way into my heart. This stops it. This little circle of light. It's part of me now, not just armor. It's a... terrible privilege."

**Loki/fem!Tony has been posted.**

**I apologize for grammar check and such. I'm writing these on about four hours of sleep within the last 48 hours. I've just been so stressed lately and I would love to just sleep a week at the very least… This is one of my more abrupt ending but I didn't really know how to end it properly, haha.**

**As for the plot, I have a slight idea as to where this is going, but I would love suggestions. :)**


	5. Chapter 5: It's Cold Outside

Bruce Banner remained silent as he stared down at the glowing innovation that was Natasha Stark. He felt the whole world still around him whilst he felt mesmerized by the bright blue glow of the reactor. "People like us…" He mumbled to himself, remembering the phrase she used so genuinely during their encounter with one another before moving in. "Hmm?" It was a soft question in his direction. "It makes sense now. When you said 'People like us.' I didn't understand how someone like you could see what the woven chaos was like."

"Stark? Dr. Banner?"

The two flinched at the sound of Steve Rogers entering the facility. Natasha's eyes flashed with warning as she helplessly began to fidget with her shirt that seemed to not want to button at the dire moment. Bruce stepped in front of her, covering her just enough so that she was hidden while she composed herself. "Steve, what brings you here?" Bruce gave in his most calming smile. He slid his hands in his pockets as Steve approached the two. Natasha finished buttoning and zipping up her jacket in the nick of time.

"We got a bit worried about you two. Natasha left without a word and we hadn't seen you since morning." Steve explained briefly. Bruce nodded, noting how he should have taken into account that someone might come looking for him. Or rather more than one person might have come looking for him. He wasn't used to being in a niche that watched over him. "I came to do some research; I asked Natasha to join me." He gave a subtle smile. Steve quirked his head. "I thought and you Miss Stark specialized in different fields?" He innocently asked. Natasha stepped a little bit forward; she placed a strand of her hair behind her ear. "If I have the notes, I can easily adapt." She smirked while adjusting the bottom of her jacket a bit.

"I see. Well I think we should head on home. In case of an emergency we shouldn't stray too far." Steve Rogers, always being officially and never taking time to have a little fun.

"Will do, Captain." Bruce replied.

"She won't trust me personally any time soon." Romanoff said as she sat on the edge of her bed. Clint was nearby, leaning against a bookshelf. "One of us needs to get close to her. Close enough that she'll open up a bit." Clint frowned somewhat; Tasha took notice. "I like her as a person, if you want me to be honest. She's a pain in the ass but she grows on you. And we are a team, right? Shouldn't we tell each other everything?" It was in the rare moment between Barton and Romanoff that they actually showed their true feelings on subject matters. Tasha was being genuine. "Yeah, but it's hypocritical. Shouldn't we tell them about us too? About how we came to be? Yeah, it's definitely a trust thing but maybe she needs a little nudging."

"What's there to tell? About how many people we've killed? About all the places we've seen and been to? Do you think they care about that? It's all trivial things we're hiding." She held a cold stare at Clint who was surprisingly not letting it go. They usually agreed on everything. "We're asking for an origin story, Tasha. We of all people should know how sensitive those stories ours. Do you think they'd be happy to know what we did in Budapest? Because that's where our origin begins and it's not a good depiction of our characters." His voice had risen, but he had paused in order to calm himself down. "Not all of it was bad, but a good portion of it I will never forgive myself for." She replied with a solemn response. "It was an accident-"

"Are you prepared to tell them that we killed twelve children that day? Knowingly. Without any proper justification whatsoever?!"

An uncomfortable silence followed Clint's outburst, neither moving nor speaking. A few minutes had passed before Clint decided he needed to get out of the room. He left Agent Romanoff to sit on the corner of the bed and contemplate.

Natasha, after a half hour decided she needed air. Something to help clear her mind.

Natasha Stark, on the other hand, was attempting to sleep in a bed that was hardly ever used. Bruce Banner had finally convinced her to at least try to sleep, even though he wasn't sure what exactly she was evading. Sometimes she forgot her own reasons had it been long enough, but that night it all came rushing back to her. In the form of a nightmare. The gunshots from the fateful day in Afghanistan. Her stupidity as she fled from the car and ducked behind a rock in a desperate attempt to call someone for help. The missile with her name in it. The sudden blunt force that hit her to the ground. At the feeling of being thrown to the ground, he finally woke up.

She abruptly sat up heavily breathing, a shine of cold sweat could be found on her forehead as she instinctively began feeling her chest for the blood. Her hand motions slowed as they came in contact with the arc reactor and not a heavy bleeding in the chest. "The time is 5:00am, Miss Stark. Should I call for someone? Agent Barton or Dr. Banner?"

"No." She immediately said, regaining her breath and her senses. The year was 2012. It was November. It was cold outside. She was alive. "I'm going to the damn roof…" She muttered to herself as she threw her covers off and began searching for a coat to wear. She finally did find one of the warm variety. "Never again, Jarvis." She said aloud whilst heading towards the elevator. "Yes, Miss Stark." He replied quietly. Natasha stood in the elevator more fidgety than ever. The elevator finally beeped at the reaching of the destination, the doors slid open allowing for a cool burst of wind to hit her as she stepped out. She raised an eyebrow.

"Couldn't sleep either, Stark?" Agent Romanoff turned her head slightly, a somewhat eased tone was laced into her words. "No, I guess that gives us something in common." Stark mumbled under her breath as she took a seat next to the SHIELD agent. Next to her was a half full bottle of vodka and two glasses. She poured herself a glass and swallowed it quickly, the burn trailing down her throat. "Usually I don't sleep but Bruce said I should give it another try." Stark slowly lowered herself onto her back as she stared at the endless sky. The one she broke barriers with during the fight of New York City. That was also a frequent night terror. "Nightmares?" Romanoff asked gently. Stark didn't answer, letting her silence answer for her. "Clint and I got in a fight." She decided to change the subject to that. Stark frowned, glancing over at the agent before sitting up again. "About?"

Romanoff paused, contemplating what she was actually doing and what was actually happening. Stark was, for once, not being obnoxious about life. They were having a decent conversation. "We all moved in because we're supposed to be a team, but we don't know anything about each other. Iron Man's a flying enigma, we only know a little bit about you that isn't classified, Clint and I are spies so we have a whole mess of history that we haven't said, Steve's always off by himself being a recluse and Bruce prefers to stay out of most things." Sincerity. Stark hadn't spoken alone to Romanoff since the time she was undercover in her company and even then she hadn't seen an ounce of sincerity. "And Clint wants to spill a little bit of information." Stark replied slowly as she looked out onto the city.

They were pretty high up.

Romanoff nodded in reply, following suit and looking out too. They had both been much higher than their current altitude. "I told Bruce some things today but I'm not sure how he took it or if I inadvertently made a wall or-" Stark paused as he noticed Romanoff staring with a small smirk edged on her face. "You're flustered, Stark." Stark frowned in confusion, not knowing what she was implying.

"When it comes to Bruce, you care about what he thinks and how he sees you. You don't know what to say anymore when you're with him." Romanoff replied softly, her voice somewhat scratchy. She paused as Stark nodded in agreement. "You like Bruce, don't you Stark." She grinned as Stark's eyes widened. She shook her heard in protest. "That…. That would be an impracticality. I mean, me and him together-" Romanoff rolled her eyes as she turned more towards Stark. "You like him. You spend all your time with him and you trust him, more than you trust any of us." Stark swallowed hard at the large eyed stare Romanoff was giving her. Stark sighed.

"Even if I did like him…. It wouldn't really matter." She muttered to herself. "It's just a small thing. A crush even I'll get over it." She brought her knees up to hold her hear as she wrapped her arms around them and hugged them to her chest. She looked up somewhat, noticing the sky once more. "Is that how you feel about Clint?" It was Romanoff's turn to blink and not respond as she scratched the back of her head. "It was before SHIELD when I met Clint. He saved me from a lot of trouble. It was in Moscow and we met for the shortest amount of time before he had to leave. You get feelings about people. Like you'll know you'll meet them again in the future." Stark looked over at her, wondering what point she was trying to make.

"If something does happen with Bruce, you should see where it goes."

"Pass me the welding torch…" Natasha Stark asked subtly while placing her goggles on securely. Bruce passed it to her, continuing his work off to the side. It had been a few days since she came clean about the arc reactor, but she hadn't exactly gone into much depth about it, which bugged Bruce to no end. Scientific curiosity was getting the best of him. He turned slightly seeing her hunched over welding a piece of the suit. Bruce had observed long ago that out of all the things she did, she treasured the suit as if it were her baby. She didn't use automated machines or anything to do her work, everything was, for the most part, by hand. Bruce frowned at the abrupt sound of the welding torch being turned off. Natasha didn't look pleased.

"I have to go back to the office. I left stuff there." She mumbled to herself, pulling her gloves off and the goggles. "It's getting late though. Can't it wait?" Bruce chimed in, hoping to keep her inside. "It's important." She replied without really thinking. "They're notes on my suit. I need them." Bruce rolled his eyes in response. "It's cold outside. Incredibly cold outside." He reasoned whilst putting his own work down. "I'm still going." She hummed softly as she began to slip on her jacket. "You'll get sick and regret going out there." Bruce crossed his arms and he raised an eyebrow at her. "So be it. I need those notes." Bruce sighed, realizing that was just another quirk about Natasha Stark: she was incredibly stubborn. "At least take someone with you…"

When Natasha had left, Bruce had hoped he'd be the one to take her. He hadn't meant for the suggestion to slip out when it did, but when it did he had hoped for him to go along with her. To make sure she was okay. Needless to say a mixture of relief and annoyance hit him when Steve Rogers, who had over heard their conversation, chimed in to escort her down to office building. The lab wasn't quiet for long before Clint sauntered down there himself. "Hey there, it's bit quiet down here for the Stark Banner lab." He suggested while looking around briefly. Bruce looked up from his work and grimaced. "Natasha left to the offices to get notes." Bruce gave a subtle answer; Clint noticed the annoyance. "Alone? You should have gone with her."

"The Captain's with her."

Clint quirked an eyebrow before nodding slowly. "Did you want to go with her?" He posed the question that Bruce knew the answer all too well. "Well of course I wanted to go with her but I-!" He stopped himself there, realizing his reply had been more of an outburst. Clint gave a side grin in his direction. "But the Captain offered to go first." Clint nodded as he finished Bruce's statement. "You need to be quicker on you game, Banner."

"There's no game to begin with." Bruce slid his glasses off and put them gently into his pocket. "Natasha and I… we're friends. Nothing more or less." Clint didn't respond, only choosing to continue to stare at Bruce. Bruce sat down at his table and fidgeted somewhat under the gaze. "Nothing more or less…" He mumbled under his breath to himself.

Steve Rogers offered his arm, causing Natasha to stop walking. "I know it may be old fashioned, but it is cold… And Dr. Banner did seem concerned about you staying warm…" It was close to a stutter. Natasha mused and gave in to Steve's gesture, wrapping her arm around his. "Where are we heading to again?" Steve asked softly as the two began their paced walk through the city. The Stark offices weren't that far off from the tower. "My office. I left a few of my things there." She replied without a hint of her usually snarky tone. Snow began to drift slowly from the sky. The silence between the two became unbearable at one point for Natasha. "How are you, Captain?" She asked, breaking their odd silence. Steve wasn't sure how to answer. "I'm mighty fine today. I woke up early, I-"

"No, Steve. I meant how are you." It took Steve a moment to register what she had meant by how he was. She was asking how was he coping with everything, which was odd. Not only because no one had bothered to ask him anymore but also because it was coming from her of all people. "I've been better." He answered genuinely after a moment or two of contemplating. He looked up a bit before returning his gaze back in front of him. "A lot has changed but I've gotten used to it. Some of it's the same though. Like the alley down a block or two. I got beat up in that alley." Steve added, making for small talk. He cracked a small smile on her face. "Twice, actually. I got beat up twice."

The two stopped at a crosswalk when Natasha sighed. "I really don't want to go all the way down there anymore. It seems like a lot of work. I could have just had Jarvis tell me what was on the notes." She bit her lip as the two stood idly on the sidewalk. Steve quirked an eyebrow of amusement up. "It's up to you what you want to do." He shrugged his shoulders. Natasha glanced at her phone, it was around 8:30 at night. Not nearly as late as Bruce had made it seem. "We could go grab a quick bite to eat. There's a diner I like to go to a lot. I know a guy and he makes the best burgers in town." She offered nonchalantly. Steve gave a thoughtful nod before giving his approval.

"Did you grow up here?"

Natasha didn't look up at him but continued to stare straight ahead of her. She'd prefer he didn't see her face at that point. "Yeah. The Stark Manor is still down there. Most of the things are untouched." Her voice was devoid of any emotion, which worried Steve slightly. He hoped he wasn't treading into territory untouched. "What was it like?" What Romanoff had said to him resonated with him. He wanted to know his team better. It took a minute or two for Natasha to finally answer. She stopped walking as they came to be standing in front of their destination. She turned him briefly with a bitter smile before walking in.

"It was cold like a winter's day."

It was an hour later before they came back, much longer than Bruce Banner had anticipated. He had remained in his location in the lab but couldn't concentrate on anything around him. Everything seemed to be in a haze as he pondered what was taking them so long. "Dr. Banner, the Captain and Miss Stark have returned." Jarvis replied steadily as Bruce had let out a breath he hadn't realizing he had been holding. "Dr. Banner, forewarning. It seems Ms. Stark has a fever at the present moment. She'll deny vehemently any care whatsoever though. You'd be welcome to take on the challenge though." Bruce grinned widely at the amount of sass that the AI had. It was a few moments before Bruce heard footsteps and talking from the stairway to the lab. "And Jarvis, I plan on having a test flight tomorrow. I just need a high place to fly from." She grinned as she snacked on a box of fries she had gotten from the diner. She held up a doggy back for Bruce in a kind gesture. He gave her a skeptical look. "What?" She questioned his perceptive gaze. Bruce had no words, he only began making his way toward her with a separate jacket in hand. He lifted his hand to her forehead. "Fever, like I thought." He stated before slipping his jacket around her shoulders. "You need to get some rest."

"I'm fine. Stop giving me that look. Besides I don't like going to sleep." Bruce ignored her as he walked passed her towards the exit of the lab. "I'm getting NyQuil." He said loudly before leaving the lab and Natasha to silence. Natasha stood there for a moment before taking in the smell of Bruce's jacket. It smelled just like he did. The jacket was warm having been worn by him constantly. She took in the warmth with a welcome snuggle. As much as Natasha hated to admit it, she was tired. A yawn had managed to escape her lips before she could hold it back. Bruce's footsteps could be heard from above. "I'm surprised you even have some but I'm guessing that's Pepper's doing."

"I won't fall asleep." She stated adamantly pushing aside any worn look she might have had on her face. Bruce gave her a knowing look before shoving the NyQuil and tablespoon into her hand. "You're taking two spoons, going to the shower and then going to bed." He frowned as he his hands graced hers. He wrapped his hands around hers. "You're freezing…" he mumbled. She could feel his warm breath across her face; it smelled of a peppermint latte. The ones that Pepper Potts would make every year on cold nights like that night. She programmed Jarvis to make them but despite the exact recipe, it would never be the same as the added touch Pepper had with it. She looked up and for some reason, he gave her _that_ look again. The one where she couldn't exactly hide anywhere. She firmly pressed her lips together, dissatisfied with the way this was turning out.

"You win. I'll take a shower and go to bed."

Bruce smiled warmly as Natasha began to make movement. He walked with her up the stairs and escorted her to her room. One hand she had placed in her pocket, attempting to give it warmth.

The other hand Bruce Banner never let go of.

Before letting her hand go, Bruce had to ask. It had been bothering him for the longest time. "Nat, why are you so afraid sleeping?" She blinked, not having expected the question. Her lips twitched slightly as she inwardly decided what she ought to say. She didn't look up at him when she answered. "I can't sleep…" Bruce felt her tighten a grip on his hand ever so slightly. "And when I do I have nightmares. Nothing's been the same since New York. We experience things and then they're over…" She swallowed hard before continuing.

"It used to be just the flashbacks of Obi and Afghanistan. Now I have the added delight of the battle. The moment I flew into the portal. You didn't see it, Bruce. The vastness behind that portal. You didn't feel the numbness that spread over me as I watched the pits of hell consume the Chitauri. The cold wash that chilled over my body as I took my last breath. Death is common but it greets me in my sleep. I slept more when I drank. The alcohol would suppress any coherency so that I would fall into a drunk slumber of a black void-"

"Nat. They all asked us if we wanted counseling, anything to help with what we saw and went through. Why didn't you take it?"

She continued to not look at him, choosing to find more interest in the floor. It only took Bruce seconds to realize the obvious answer. She broke his train of thought freely.

"I have a favor to ask."

"Anything."

She snorted at his response briefly. "It's not really practical to say that before I ask. It's me of all people, you have no idea what I could be asking for." Bruce raised an eyebrow before leaning against the wall subtly. She took his silence as the okay to continue. "Can you stay with me? When I get out, I mean. Pepper would do it sometimes, especially after the incident."

Bruce couldn't really answer at seeing vulnerability. He nodded slowly. She looked up at him and paused before placing a kiss on his cheek. Some could take it in the friendliest of gestures. Others could take it as a gateway. "Thank you, Bruce. For listening." Her hand slowly slipped away from his as she entered the bathroom. Bruce kept to his word and waited for her outside. His mind kept switching attention to the subtle sensation in his hand to the distant humming coming from the bathroom. He chuckled to himself as he realized it was "Baby It's Cold Outside".

"_A strange choice for you hum to, Stark."_ He thought to himself as he caught himself humming along. The humming stopped as the water turned off. It only took a quick five minutes for Natasha to return in comfortable clothing. She ushered him towards the bed as the two laid down side. "What time is it?" She mumbled softly as she felt the effects of the NyQuil taking place. She felt herself scoot into Bruce's embrace. Bruce froze momentarily before welcoming the additional warmth. "It's late. Just fall asleep. I'll be here."

Bruce didn't know what to do to a point. He wondered what Pepper Potts did in situations like this. Did she talk? Did she hum or sing or did she remain silent? If he talked, he felt as though that'd be annoying. Humming had the possibility of sufficing. His low voice began humming the tune to the song from the shower. Natasha wouldn't admit it but it was lulling her to sleep slightly. She began to sing along softly in a somewhat slurred voice. "The neighbors might think…"

"Baby it's bad out there." She smiled softly to herself as Bruce softly sang along. His hand began to stroke the back of her head gently and slowly. "Say, what's in this drink?" Bruce continued to stare at the ceiling, feeling sleep slightly overcome him as he sang. "No cabs to be hailed out there."

"I wish I knew how…" Her voice began to slowly drift, but she still held onto consciousness.

"Your eyes are like starlight." Bruce swallowed slightly hard as he felt the sensation of comfort overcome him.

"To break the spell…." Bruce felt her warmth against him much more as he began to pay attention to the lyrics. They continued through the next few lines as together, slowly and softly as realization began to dawn on him. "Baby, its cold, outside…" The ending line to the second stanza, although it was supposed to be sung together, was sung by just him. Natasha's breathing was paced and even, affirming the assumption that she had fallen to sleep's spell. A few moments passes and Bruce's own eyes began to slump. "Is there something wrong, Dr. Banner? You seem slightly distraught." Jarvis asked in a hushed tone. Bruce glanced over to see Natasha sleeping soundlessly. The smell of her hair reached his nose as he took it in. She smelled like warm vanilla.

"It's nothing, Jarvis. It's just… It's just that I think I might like Natasha."

**Haven't been here for a while. My apologies. I'm a bit iffy on this so if you have any ideas, please feel free to suggest them. Read, Review, and Enjoy. (:**


	6. Chapter 6: Getting Defensive

"This is stupid."

Natasha sat with her arms crossed in a cushioned chair. Next to her sat Bruce Banner, pinching his nose in annoyance. He leaned his arms against his knees, causing his back to slightly arch. Steve Rogers sat stiffly in his chair; a soldiers stance that attempted to hide any hint of anger. In the last chair sat Thor, his head laid idly in his hand as he had grown bored of the developments at hand.

"Why do you think it's stupid, Miss Stark?" The man sitting across from them inquired His accent thick with English origins. He attempted look her dead in the eye and maintain locked looks, despite how difficult she was making it by giving him an iron cold stare. He swallowed hard as she took a breath of annoyance.

"Two of the world's leading scientists, a super soldier from the 1940s and a Norse god all walk into psychologist's office. Yeah, yeah, that sounds like a logical thing to do." The anger in her voice was becoming more evident. "You're all here today because of the fight you guys had in the practice area of SHIELD headquarters. Director Fury thought you ought to talk to someone about this rising tension. You're all a team, it shouldn't be happening like that."

"As much as I hate to agree, Stark's right. This is ridiculous." Steve finally said as he attempting to keep as much respect in his voice as he possibly could. The psychologist nodded slowly before righting something down. "He calls her by her last name…." He mumbled to himself. "I do not see the point in this meeting. We're a group of warriors. Is it not customary to fight amongst one another? Not all of us have the same opinion about matters but that's what makes our team versatile. The idea that we have multiple views and from there we can create an option that best supports the general welfare." Thor's voice caught everyone off guard. Natasha had presumed Thor would remain silent but as he spoke, he earned points with Natasha. He made an excellent point.

"I hope to resolve any underlying frustration or anger that you four might be holding against one another by talking to you as groups and seperately. And for the record, I am SHIELD authorized, so you are allowed to disclose information about missions, hero egos, etc. Any questions?" He panned across the room waiting for a question to arise. Natasha raised her hand slowly. "What does Fury think of this whole psychology thing?" She raised an eyebrow defiantly. Bruce chuckled softly, but there was an underlying bitter tone. "He thinks it's idiotic."

"Exactly. He's smart enough to realize you can't tear us apart thread by thread. It'll be nearly impossible to get inside our heads to figure out anything. You can't make us talk. I'll refuse to talk. We're adults. Hell, that one is centuries old. I think we can manage without being victims of your psychological torture." Natasha expected a comment from the golden boy sitting yonder. One about respect even with differing opinions. Needless to say she was surprised by the silence and even stunned at the slow nod of agreement made by him instead.

"My first victim is you, Miss Stark."

* * *

An amount of time passed before tension began to rise. Steve Rogers sat with a sketch book on the right corner, sketching the outside view. Thor had taken to obtaining a few astronomy and physics books to perhaps gain a little more insight with the studies of a certain Jane Foster. Bruce Banner sat idly next to the door listening to the door, hoping to get a sign that maybe Natasha would get them all out of the debacle.

"Even she can't get us out of this."

Bruce's head snapped up at the voice of Steve, who continued his trained concentration on the sketch book. "She did better than anything you did in there, _Captain._" Bruce retorted loud enough for only Thor and Steve to hear. Thor looked up in surprise as did Steve. The doctor's outburst sounded irritable at the very least. "We aren't starting this again, Doctor Banner." Steve's voice turned serious as he closed his book abruptly. "I have to agree with the soldier, Doctor Banner. It's true I believe that his actions weren't exactly the most reasonable but you never act so irrationally to actions you find disagreeable." Steve swallowed to make his throat less dry as he looked between Thor and Bruce. "Meaning… he got defensive." Bruce blinked slowly, feeling the specks of electric green in his eye slowly begin to fade back to a normal hazel colour. He took a deep breath. Thor was the first to speak after the silence.

"What _do_ you think is going on in there?"

* * *

The only sound in the room was the sound of a clock ticking from the wall. Natasha sat with her legs pulled up to the side of the chair; her arms crossed as she held a steady glare. Across the room sat Dr. Luke Levyison. He held her glare, something that couldn't actually been done by a lot of people. "I believe this to be the quietest you've even been. News conferences and other instances indicate you to be a rather eccentric person." She raised an eyebrow but not a word she muttered. Natasha glanced down at her phone. An hour had passed meaning their time was officially over.

"Hour's up. You can leave, Miss Stark."

Natasha grinned mockingly as she jumped out of her seat. "I hope the silence answered enough question for you." She said as she made her way towards the door. She opened it somewhat; the eyes of Thor, Banner and Steve greeting her outside. She would have continued to walk had it not been for the subtle reminder Dr. Levyison threw out at her. It was loud enough for both Bruce and her to hear it. "Be careful out there, Miss Stark. Being Iron Man can be dangerous."

She froze in her tracks, her eyes widened briefly before reverting back to her carefully woven façade. Steve and Thor were perplexed as Bruce knew all too well of the cause that made Natasha briefly show fear in her face. "Nat…" Bruce looked up at her, hoping she'd heed his warning as to not go back in there. Natasha abruptly turned back around, shutting the door behind her. "I'm happy to have peaked your interest." Natasha retorted as she leaned against the door.

She walked back to her chair and sat down in the same position she had been in prior to getting up. "How much do you know?" Her voice wasn't as defiant as it had been moments before. It had transitioned to a tired tone. "Enough. Only that, actually. My job is to get to know you through talking to you, not reading about it. I have my theories about you and where your personality traits stem from but talking to you is the only sure fire way to either solidify or dissolve my theories." Natasha nodded slowly, glancing towards the window briefly before turning back to him.

Levyison quirked an eyebrow, waiting for her to begin and she sighed in response. "There was a ruckus in the area when we were called. Well, I was in the area as a civilian when it happened so technically they got called and- you get the point. There are technicalities with the whole dual identies but the point is that we were all there. Them as the Avengers. Myself as Natasha Stark."

* * *

_"I'm your commanding officer, now go, Miss Stark."_

_"Finding Bruce Banner in this havoc isn't the easiest damn thing, Captain." She retorted angrily as the noise around them appeared to be getting louder. Captain America was tending to a man whose leg had gotten injured in an explosion at the Federal Bank. "In case you didn't see, Shockwave is running around destroying the area. It's not really safe for me to be running around."_

* * *

Levyison snorted. "He said that. He wanted you to go unarmed? He is the one that knows your dirty little secret, right?" He asked incredulously. Natasha sighed. "What? No. He doesn't know about it. No one kno- Well. Banner and Barton know but that wasn't on my accord. They found out accidently." She grimaced slightly, knowing very well he'd want to know how that occurred. "Bruce lost it in the lab one day and I wasn't armed. I armed myself and tried to calm him down, but he knocked my helmet out of commission. Bruce remembered my face during the Hulk out and Barton walked in on the chaos." Levyison nodded slowly before drafting a few words on his note pad. "What started the arguing was what I did next…"

* * *

_"Stark, just go! Iron Man should be in the area." The Captain said loudly as another sound wave was heard. Natasha stood there before taking a deep breath and running for it. She didn't know how she was supposed to find Bruce in the chaos; she didn't even know if he was being a medic or being the Hulk. She assumed that he was a medic considering how she hadn't heard the Hulk's roar at all during the time that the explosion was happening. People were scattered about, running in every which direction, one man passed by her panicking as he ran from a building. "My son! My son is in there! In the back of the first floor… I couldn't reach him." The man stuttered as he broke down crying on the ground._

* * *

"You went in to save the child…"

"Of course. I couldn't just stand there and let Shockwave destroy the building with him in it."

* * *

_Natasha ran towards the building, dodging debris as it fell as she made her way towards the entrance. The building looked as though it were about to crash into the ground as she observed the surrounding area. "Hello?!" She yelled at the top of her lungs. A fire broke out in the rooms located next to her when she heard the scream. The scream of a small child. She looked around urgently noting the fallen pillars from where an explosion must have happened prior. She jumped over fallen pieces of the wall as she tried to locate the scream. "This would be a lot easier with the suit, dammit…" She mumbled to herself. "And an earpiece to contact Captain and Bruce." She continued, hoping to distract herself from the heat surrounding her._

_It reminded her of the time she wandered aimlessly through the desert. "Please help me!" Her attention finally focused on a small child sitting trapped between two fallen pieces of what she presumed was the ceiling. "Can you stand up at all?" She said a bit loudly for the boy to hear. It took a few moments but he stood up carefully, turning ever so slightly to face her. His face was smudged with ash, minor cuts and a few bruises contoured his arms. He stared at her with wide eyes. Vulnerability. Fear…_

* * *

"When I went to get him, there was this moment where everything fell silent for me. I saw my own fear in his eyes. My fear from that cave, from my childhood. Others say my reason as selfless but deep down I know it's selfish. I wouldn't be able to live with myself properly had I kept looking for Bruce. I did it because the anger of feeling left behind should hinder anyone the way it did me." Natasha blinked suddenly, realizing her thoughts weren't supposed to be as voiced as she had made them. A discreet smile appeared on Levyison's face. "Getting a bit personal there, aren't we?"

* * *

_Natasha Stark ran out of the building with the child just before another rupturing sound could be heard from the building. "Bruce!" She yelled at the top of her lungs still holding the boy in her arms. Natasha's blood ran cold as she felt movement behind her and the sudden cold hardness of a pistol being pointed at the side of her head. "Nobody move or she gets shot!" Shockwave yelled into the general area. Sound seemed to dissipate around her. "Let go of the kid and stay where you are." He said firmly under his breath. Natasha let go of the kid and watched as he ran to his father. The two escaped safely just as Shockwave forcibly grabbed closer and held the gun at a more comfortable angle._

* * *

"You're only human, Miss Stark. Without the armor-"

"I know. Without the armor I'm useless. Well, when I called Bruce's name, he actually heard it. There was a rumbling from behind us and it wasn't Bruce." She raised an eyebrow before treating herself to the glass of water on the table. "The Hulk wasn't happy."

"I don't believe there's been an occasion where he has been happy…"

Natasha frowned slightly at the comment before taking another sip of water. "So I think I can connect it from here. The Captain became angry over how you didn't follow orders. You, instead, went to save the young child. Banner became annoyed with the Captain because he sent you out there without protection. Banner was mad at you for being reckless and you became mad at the Captain because he was being irrational and Banner because he was being overprotective."

Natasha took a moment to go over everything he had said, reaffirming in her head that he had gotten it right. It seemed ridiculous when she thought about it, but the arguments the three had still had meaning. It brought up a question though. "Why is Thor here if he didn't do anything?"

"To make him feel a part of the group." Levyison answered briskly.

A quick glance down at her phone told Natasha she had been in here longer than she needed to be. One part of her wanted to leave. Just leave and go back to the tower. She was waiting for Rhodey to give her a call. Pepper and Rhodey had gone off together for vacation, but he had been called off on military business. Pepper Potts understood of course, but the excitement of hearing from him again wasn't something neither Pepper nor Natasha could ignore. "Do you play chess, Miss Stark?"

Natasha frowned slightly before nodding slowly. Levyison gestured his hand to the right side of the room. On a side table sat a set chess board. "If you bring that over here and make the first move, you can leave." She paused hesitantly before getting up and doing so. She made her move.

"On your way out, send Dr. Banner in, if you would."

* * *

Bruce Banner sat awkwardly in the chair that was once occupied by Natasha. The room was silent once more with the exception of the ticking coming from the clock on the way. Levyison remained in his spot as he idly turned the page of a folder he was reading. Ten minutes had passed and not a word had been spoken. Bruce looked over at Levyison just as he was turning a page. The entirety of the time, Bruce had assumed he was looking over his profile, however Bruce's theory changed when he noticed the Entertainment Weekly magazine cover as he flipped a page.

"Really? You're doing that now?" Bruce asked perplexed at the doctor's actions. Levyison looked up with raised eyebrows. "What, are we ready to speak now? Frankly I was getting bored of this nonsense." He closed the magazine and put it to the side. He gave a bemused smirk in Banner's direction. "Aren't you going to try and psychoanalyze me, figure me out, that kind of thing?" Bruce questioned as he continued to stare at the doctor questioningly. He was cautious of the man's tactics at this point.

"I could do that, yes. I could read your file and know everything about you from what makes you tick to the foundation of your reserved personality but as I told Miss Stark, I choose not to read those things. Basing my findings on someone else's understanding wouldn't be very professional. I prefer to view up close, if that's alright with you." He paused, taking in Banner's reaction. "You play chess, doctor?" Banner asked now noticing the board in front of him. Natasha Stark has made her move, but as she left, Levyison switched the board around, making Bruce's side a completely clean slate to move. Levyison motioned for him to make a move.

Levyison observed the similarities and differences between Banner and Stark within that moment.

Similarly, the two had sized him up upon his introduction. Being scientists, they observed and deducted whether he would be a problem in their cycle of chaos. They thought about how they could get out of this. Solutions that made him note how private the two were. It was also important to note that the two were close. More close than the rest of the team; they had formed a niche within their community of dysfunctional antics.

However, in contrast, the two had a different approach to newcomers into their circle. Stark had stared at him with a fire in her eyes. An auburn recklessness that screamed she was challenging him to try and succeed at his completing his objectives. Levyison liked the challenge; he always did. Banner, however, stared at him with jaded caution. Unwilling to actually see what he could do all at once.

Luke Levyison smiled at the doctor; his eyes glinted with a bemused hint of green mischief.

**I hate formatting because it wouldn't let me take out the linebreaks so now it looks stupid and I apologize for that.  
**

**The next thing I'll update is ATP, then Iron Mischief. I'm just stuck on that, I really am. I no what I'd like the conflict to be but I'm just having trouble processing how I want to go about it. This one is the easiest of the three to write which is why you've seen more of this than the others. At the same time I think it's also because I got into the mindset of science bros and it's difficult to switch to frostiron and stony.**

**But otherwise, I hope you're all having a wonderful holiday!**


	7. Chapter 7: Someone Impactful

**Updates:**

**Iron Mischief is on hold because of reasons.**

**ATP is my second focus.**

**This story will be my main focus.**

"You guys didn't invite me? That's not nice." Natasha pouted as she entered the common room of the tower. Having come home from the psychology session put a damper to her day. "You were busy making friends with the psych guy, we couldn't help it." Phil Coulson smiled in reference to the situation he had set up in her tower. At the table sat Nick Fury, Phil Coulson and Loki. On the table sat 3 cups of fresh coffee. Loki's was the only one untouched. Natasha looked Loki up and down, surprised to see him in what he would consider midgardian garb. He did work the green and black look with the evergreen shirt and black jeans.

"You look bemused, Stark. Is something troubling you?" Loki inquired, startling Fury seeing as how those had been Loki's first words the entire afternoon. "A lot of things trouble me, Loki, I just prefer to keep them to myself." She smirked. He grinned in return as he finally took a sip of the dark liquid. He wasn't a fan of it but it would have to suffice. "Where's the rest of the team, Stark?" Fury asked with an all business tone.

"Still making friends with the psych guy. The pointless one that we don't need. Bruce is with him right now and I'm assuming Thor and Cap will be with him and be gone quickly. But on a more curious note, what are you three doing here?" She made her way across the bar, pouring herself some scotch. "We thought we'd bring up a proposition to you, Stark. And by "we" I mean them." He smiled bitterly. Natasha sighed, wondering if it would have been better to stay with Bruce and Levyison.

* * *

"You slept with her?"

Bruce's face flushed slightly at thought before shaking his head. "No, no no. That's not what I meant." Levyison raised an eyebrow before taking down a few notes. Bruce shifted uncomfortably in his chair before taking a deep breath. "We were in bed together." He clarified slowly. Levyison stopped writing. "So what I said. You slept with her."

"No." Bruce adamantly replied without hesitation. "I slept beside her. There wasn't anything intimate about it. We didn't have sex." Silence followed as the notes started up again. "You know…" Levyison paused. "I never said I meant 'sex.' You merely took it that way. There wasn't a need to get bothered by it." He shared a small grin on his face as Bruce gave him a glare. "You don't seem bothered or afraid of me. That's unusual to see in strangers that meet me for the first time." Bruce mentioned nonchalantly, realizing his point was a good point. One that had been lingering in his mind before bubbling to the surface. The doctor didn't look up. "I've dealt with more monstrous things than your friend, Doctor Banner." His voice was smooth and without pitch. "And when I say monstrous, I mean to imply that would be the way you describe him, yes?" Bruce stiffened slightly as the doctor looked up from his notepad.

"Doctor Banner I've dealt with a variety of different cases each one unique to the file next to it. From what I deduce, from the small amount I read in your file and from what I've gathered from strategies of the Avengers, there's something just below the surface that you aren't willing to admit. Something that's been haunting you long before the Avengers and only now have you begun to attempt and face your demons. Not visibly but in your own subtle ways."

Bruce's heart dropped in the slowest manner that it possibly could. Levyison stood up and placed his notebook in his drawer. He closed the blinds of the window and turned on the light for the room. Levyison's footsteps could be heard on the mahogany floor as he walked back to the chair he once occupied. Bruce's face had shifted from reserved to contemplative. He wasn't sure what to say. Levyison took a deep breath before proceeding. "Why did you sleep with her?"

Bruce took a few moments before looking him in the eye and responding.

"Because I knew what she meant… What she meant by not being able to sleep. To be afraid of closing your eyes and not waking up in the same place. To see something far beyond what you're meant to see or do. To feel the cold chill of the unknown as an old friend…"

Without waiting for the okay, Bruce got up and walked out without a word. Levyison wasn't surprised by such actions. He had been under the orders to accomplish his objective fast and not waste time with meaningless facts. He had been told to get to the point with each of them. Natasha Stark would be difficult. All of them would be.

Except Steve. He presumed there wouldn't be many walls to jump to get to him.

For Thor, the obvious would be the events that transpired in Asgard that led to his appearance on Earth.

For the assassins, he wasn't sure. He hadn't met with them yet.

For Natasha Stark, she was a riddle worth solving; a knot worth unraveling.

But for Bruce Banner, it seemed Natasha had already gotten to unraveling the man, whether she knew it or not.

* * *

The first week of December came and it started with a phone call that caused Natasha to pause from disbelief.

It was three in the morning as she sat in her lab. The arc reactor schematics were illuminated through the holograms in front of her. Sometimes she stared at the device in front of her, shocked that a mere person, a simple person could create such a power privilege.

A terrible privilege at that.

And she hadn't been referring to herself at all. She thought about Yinsen. She thought about him all time and what he'd be doing had he gotten out of the dark crevices of the cave. Had his family not died, they'd be together for the holidays. Had they still been alive and he alive when she had emerged from the cave a new person, she would feel a certain burden lifted off her shoulders. If Yinsen had taught her anything, is had been redemption. Redemption wasn't unachievable, even to the most corrupt and broken of people.

Even to someone like her.

She glanced to the stairs, the very same stairs that Bruce had walked up earlier. She thought about Bruce often and what stunned herself more was that she had allowed herself to get involved in someone on a personal level. She wasn't sure how she felt about Bruce but she cared and she usually only reserved those feelings for Pepper, Rhodey, or Happy. She had actually allowed herself to start caring without realizing it. She reached for the cup of warm coffee before pausing, bringing back her hand to her lap. What bothered her the most about Bruce Banner was the idea that if someone like her got a second chance, then someone like him should too. And she wished he'd see it that way and let himself have that chance.

"Miss, there's an incoming video call from Miss Potts."

Natasha looked up at the ceiling with a quizzical brow. It was odd to be hearing from Pepper. Especially when she knew about the time difference. The line was put on without response as Pepper could immediately be heard talking quickly without taking a breath. Natasha looked up with wide eyes at the sight of her usually put together friend disheveled with strands of hair sticking out and red eyes.

She had been crying.

"Pep. What happened? What's wrong?" She asked with a serious but wearisome face. Pepper took a few deep breaths before nodding. She shut her eyes tightly before replying gravely.

"Rhodey went missing... He hasn't been seen or heard from and I don't know what happened to him..."

Natasha's heart sunk as Pepper began to tell her what had happened. A call from the military had pulled Rhodey to an undisclosed location and he hadn't been heard from since. Pepper hadn't heard from him in a week and she knew something had gone wrong when she called up and they had no indicated reports of Colonel Rhodes being called out at all. "Natasha, I don't know what to do but we can't be reckless plea-" Before Pepper could finish her sentence, Natasha had gotten up from her chair, grabbing the coffee from her table and chugging it in one gulp. The lukewarm coffee trailed its way down her throat as she approached her latest suit.

"Jarvis, this doesn't leave this lab. The lab is on lockdown. No one in. If asked, I'm down here working and I don't want disruptions. Cancel any override codes and keep SHIELD out of this." She cracked her neck to the side as she stood on the platform, preparing for the suit to be placed on her. "I'll do what I can." Jarvis replied as the machine began working on her suit arrangement.

* * *

"I finally got you two together in a room."

Levyison sat in his usual chair as Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton sat across from him. They were dressed more casually than he had expected. "After hearing about how close you two were, I didn't expect it to be that hard." He smirked as he still didn't get a response from either one of them. "Why are we here?" Romanoff glared at the man as she crossed one leg over the other. Levyison sighed. "As I explained to your teammates, I'm here to make sure you all work together in a functional way."

"And Stark was okay with this?"

He rolled his eyes. "Of course she wasn't."

Barton grinned at the comment but he reduced his expression to a nonchalant glance as he realized he ought not show any hint of him liking the snarky remarks of the man. They sat in silence for a few moments as Levyison was hoping they'd start speaking on their own. "Perhaps we should begin. Tell me about this whole partnership thing you have going on here…" He trailed off as neither of them made eye contact. Levyison sighed.

"Either talk or I can have Fury put you both on desk duty for as long as I want." He received scowls from both of them. They sat a little longer in silence. Levyison wondered how long this standstill would last. Levyison jumped slightly at the sudden movement of Romanoff getting up to leave. Clint waited a few short moments before taking a deep breath. "I don't like talking about the past. Neither does she. But rest assured, it doesn't affect how we act as a team. It won't." Levyison quirked his head slightly to the side, taking the serious tone in Barton's voice to heart. "We have other things to worry about. Stark's gone missing."

Levyison didn't respond, waiting for Barton to continue his statement. He knew it'd be short and to the point. "She hasn't come out of her lab. I know you know about her being in the suit. I'm not sure what's going on but she doesn't want anyone to know where she is or what's she's doing. Whenever she goes off like this it's a bit worrisome. I think I'm the only one who knows so far…" He trailed off before nodding goodbye to the doctor. "Send Doctor Banner in after, please." He said loud enough just before Barton was out of decent hearing range. The door cracked open slightly before Bruce awkwardly shuffled into the room. "Are you feeling more open today, Doctor Banner?"

"Not really, if I'm being honest. You're poking at buttons that shouldn't be pressed." He replied bitterly as he sat in the familiar chair. They sat again in the common silence that repeatedly visited the room whenever Levyison and an Avenger were in the room. "Perhaps we can start with something… not too deep but a bit optimistic. To get an idea of your history." In recent time, Levysion had taken to eating sweets whenever he found a situation tedious. He considered a bag of M&Ms good for the occasion of trying to get Bruce Banner to talk.

Bruce gave him a questioning look. "Tell me about someone. Someone important to you. Someone who made an impact."

As Levyison finished his prompt, a specific person came to Bruce Banner's mind…

* * *

Natasha Stark had invented a cloaking device for her suit. It was experimental at best, but it sufficed enough for the mission at hand. Her suit flashed through the sky as she had her computers tracking the calls made to the hotel room that Pepper and Rhodey had been staying at. At first, they had signaled down a general area, one of the desert states, much to her dismay.

She wasn't a fan of the desert.

But by the hour, it had slowly begun to pinpoint more confine areas. She thought about it long and hard. Whoever had made the call had the technology or the resources to successfully cover as an official military call. Enough that both Pepper and Rhodey had been fooled by it. Needless to say her anger had reached the surface as her maps pinpointed a location.

**AN:**

**I apologize for not updating at all. I really do. I have an idea where this is going though so that's good. ATP has a somewhat plot too or at least it's trying to. Iron Mischief is still shaky.**

**I've been sick recently and school has been rather stressful but I hope to update more often if I can. **

**-Hayley**


	8. Chapter 8: Sincerity

_2 weeks later._

"You're all healed up, I see." Levyison greeted her as she walked into the room of her own accord for the first time in two weeks. The only sign of injury was a simple band-aid on her face. A tired and annoyed glaze filtered through her eyes causing the man to smirk. "It's been awhile. Tell me how you've been." He looked at her with a tilted expression. Natasha Stark pressed her lips together before repositioning herself in her chair more casually: legs on the arm, her hand supporting her face on the other arm.

"Fury hasn't kept you in on the party?" She inquired, finding herself smirking. Levyison's own smirk disappeared. "You'd be surprised to that he doesn't share the same… sentiment that you share for me." She raised an eyebrow but didn't push it further. It didn't have merit for her to pursue something unimportant. "I've had a long 3 nights. I haven't had much sleep so excuse me if I don't have mu usually spunk." He only gave her an eye roll before she continued again. "After I left the last meeting we had, I went back to the tower and found Fury, Agent Coulson and," she looked up with a lidded glance in his direction; her eyes meeting his. "…and a certain mischief maker having a tea party in the commons room."

"The man that destroyed nearly all of New York?"

"God. He's nowhere near being a man. He's much more than a man but… how should I put this…" she paused thoughtfully. Her finger played with a single strand of her long hair as she tried to find the right words, a habit she had begun to pick up when she didn't have something to fiddle with her hands. "He's witty. Although I was thrown from a window and nearly to my death, I enjoyed the conversation the happened prior. I'd never turn down the opportunity to talk with something as clever as he is. However…" she paused again. Levyison was notably attentive to her musings. "I understood where was coming from."

She took his silence as the okay to keep speaking.

"When I think about it, we're not so different. He was raised in the shadow of the golden boy and was different from everyone around him. He may have not found out about his Frost Giant heritage until later but he was smart enough to know he was different from Thor, Odin, and everyone around him. And when you have someone like Thor as your big brother, you've got a lot to live up to. I don't know for sure, obviously, but considering his _passion_ for being necromancer I can only assume he spent most of his days growing up studying and strengthening the side of him he knew he had talent in while Thor was doing the more respectable thing: being what their society and even ours at times deems to be a 'hero'.

She looked back at him with a somewhat knowing glance but didn't say anything. She gently removed her hand from the bottom of her head and moved a piece on the chess board, noting how there were two boards in comparison to how she had only remembered one existing prior to her exit.

"Natasha, what do you deem as a hero?"

She furrowed her eyebrows, not expecting that sort of question to be asked. "Everyone has a different definition of 'hero.' After my first real challenge at being Iron Man with the whole Obadiah incident, I thought I was hero. I had a suit, a saved some lives, I was redeeming myself. That kind of thing. I thought I was someone people could look up to."

"But?"

"I'm a bitch a lot of the time to people. I don't take to people easily. I'm selfish and don't play well with others. And I've only actually gotten to know a limited amount of people because when I do see sincerity I don't know whether to trust it as genuine or as someone trying to use me for their own goals and objectives. I stopped thinking I was hero when I met other people who much bigger problems than I did and were better at coping with it." She frowned again, as if something having just occurred to her or some thought had been nagging her. "With Loki, I see someone that I could have become had I not had the right path or guidance."

Levyison's eyes widened slightly as he continued to stare intently at her.

"Fury and Coulson offered the idea of letting Loki stay in the tower as a form of parole. I'm not one for being a good role model, but the little basket case and I have a lot in common. If I could change, even slightly, I don't see why he can't." He took her sincerity and realized that there wasn't a hint of sarcasm or anything even relatively similar. Natasha Stark had been bluntly honest.

"When I was little, I had Jarvis. He was our butler until he died from old age. I started making an AI that I named after him. And after that, Obadiah, Rhodey, Pepper and eventually the Avengers came into my life. Granted, Obadiah was one of many cracks in the glass ceiling that told me to be weary or who I trust and talk to. And I still keep that in mind with people like Thor, Steve Romanoff and Barton."

Levyison frowned as a new thought entered his mind.

"What do you think of Banner?"

Another unexpected question. She didn't answer for a few minutes before giving a short reply.

"I don't know."

He raised an eyebrow, jotted something down and then approached the reason for her long absence. "Tell me about what happened. The whole week or so absence." Natasha stretched her arms out, glad to be moving on from something that wasn't directly involved with Bruce Banner. She had enough problems trying to understand on her own. She didn't need prying from an outside source. Just then, the door burst open. Natasha flinched, Levyison merely looked up from his notes at the heavily breathing man that had barged into the office with a troubled look.

"Banner, you're not scheduled until tomorrow."

**AN: Hey there. Yeah it's been a while. So here's a summary of what's been happening and what's going to happen:**

**What's been happening:**

**-Senior year ended and as such was stressful to the point where I didn't have time to do the fun things I like, such as making dolls, sewing, writing my fanfics, etc.**

**-Summer began for me back around the end of May but I had things to take care of.**

**-I needed to focus on getting back into the rhythm of sewing and actually succeeding which only happened recently. I went to my college orientation for 2 days, I signed up for my classes, all that good stuff.**

**-I hang out with friends every week or so, I'm making sure I hang out with all the people I like before my friends leave for colleges across the country.**

**What's going to happen:**

**-I apologize for not being here to update and what not. Iron Mischief I will more than likely take down and rewrite something better. For those of you who read ATP, I made hints to separate branches, for instance there's one in ATP that lead to this fic. I'd like to think that this chapter will be the hint/branch that will lead to a FrostIron fic with fem!Tony and whatnot. **

**-Motivation is a huge player. If I'm not motivated to write, I won't because I don't feel like writing crap.**

**-I don't know when I'll update. I am doing other things. Like Tumblr and watching shows that I need to catch up on and etc. You know. The usual anti social kind of thing.**

**Again, I am sorry about not updating. I hope to write soon.**

**-H.**


	9. Chapter 9: Rhodes Less Traveled

**AN: Make note, in my AU Natasha and possibly Bruce (haven't decided on Bruce yet) are younger than what the movies suggest. In 2013 (present) she's about 27, which means the year is 2000 when she is in college, making her 15. (Which is also going by what's cannon: Tony Stark was 15 when he went to MIT.)**

"We need to talk." Bruce Banner said urgently, not even giving Levyison's comment another thought. Natasha Stark held a dazed look in her eye. "No we don't. There's nothing to talk about."

"I beg to differ, I think there's a lot to talk about here." Levyison smirked as he offered for Bruce to take the seat next to Natasha. The door slowly closed as someone from the outside knew better than to eavesdrop. Bruce gave Natasha a look that was a mixture of anger and worry. "You should have said something." She returned a look of her own; an indifferent one. "I didn't need to." She said adamantly. Silence filled the room for another moment or so before Natasha sighed.

"Rhodey was kidnapped. I went to go find him. He had been taken captive in a facility by General Ross. Ross was using Rhodey as leverage to get to Bruce. Through me." She rolled her eyes in annoyance before continuing. "Before confronting Ross, someone came over my comm. She said she had Colonel Rhodes and that they'd be escaping the area shortly due to how the facility itself was set to explode in a matter of minutes. I was about to take my leave when Ross left me a video to find in the building."

"What did it say?"

She blinked, surprised that the question came from Bruce and not Levyison.

"He said to turn over Bruce if I wanted Rhodey back safely, or else the building would explode with him in it. And myself if I didn't escape in time. The building was on lockdown with barriers that even I had some slight trouble getting through. I broke through them with 5 seconds left and the explosion still got to me. Not enough to kill me but enough to bang me up a bit." Levyison nodded, writing a note or two down. "What about the girl who saved Rhodey?"

"Betty Ross. Related." Levyison's eyes widened slightly as they landed on Bruce. "The same one you mentioned before? About being impact-"

"Yes, the same one. She came to me this; I'm not sure how she got into the tower without clearance but she told me everything." He sighed, giving another worried glance in Natasha's direction. "As Iron Man I gave her clearance. Told her she could come see you if she wanted. She told me about how she was there when you were first going through your changes." Natasha looked away from Bruce and chose the ceiling as her preferred viewing target. She didn't know what she was thinking when she had given Betty Ross clearance to see Bruce. On one hand she was angry and even a bit jealous, but on the other hand Bruce had only a handful or people he trusted and technically Betty was his first. She shouldn't get in the way of something like that.

"Hmmm. But thing that makes me curious is your urgency with Rhodey. Are you lovers or is it just a strong friendship?" Levyison asked curiously, having not heard of the man until Natasha brought him up. "They're just friends." Bruce answered before realizing how annoyed his statement sounded. "Well, we did sleep together once but that was back in college." Bruce raised an eyebrow as Levyison asked his unspoken question.

"Tell me about you and Rhodey."

"I was 15 when I decided to go to MIT. I thought bullying would stop if I went to college but I was entirely wrong."

* * *

_15 years old, Natasha stood in a MIT sweatshirt, jeans, her hair in a ponytail and epitome of teenage awkwardness. However, she stood with someone's lunch all over her head as it dripped down her face. "You'll never last here." A girl much older and frankly a lot prettier than her said as she walked away with two other guys behind her. Natasha Stark wasn't the Stark that the world currently knew of. She was quiet and preferred to keep to herself because of people like that. She smelled tomato in her hair and assumed pasta had been dumped on her. "At least it wasn't oatmeal this time…" She mumbled to herself as she headed back to her dorm._

* * *

"Bullied?" Bruce couldn't help but be shocked. "Why would people bully the heir to Stark Industries? Even then you could just pretend to be nice to get in good graces with you." Natasha winced at the notion of people using her but she understood what he meant. "True but when a 15 year old gets the higher scores on tests and exams, there's bound to be resentment."

* * *

"_Do you need help?"_

_The voice startled Natasha as she placed her laundry in the machine. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. I'm James Rhodes. Aren't you a bit young to be here?" He grinned, not tauntingly as Natasha had so often seen. "Natasha." She left her last name out. " Yeah but I'm smarter than I look." She smirked. She said no more as placed the change from her pocket into the machine. A brief glimpse of the man in front of her told her a few things. His posture was pretty decent for a college kid. "Kind of cute too…" She thought to herself. She inwardly shook her head. She was there to get her degrees, get out, and be ready at her father's side when he needed her. If he ever needed her._

* * *

"I'm a tad bit confused…" Levyison furrowed his eyebrows as he questioned her story. "I thought you were a party girl prior to your initiation as Iron Man. You seem oddly… silent as an adolescent." Natasha raised an eyebrow as she registered his surprise. Bruce shared a look similar to Levyison. "You never seemed like the hold your tongue type."

"It would be a week or so before I saw him again."

* * *

_Natasha sat in her single dorm. It was a Friday night as she sat on her bed alone. Her headphones blasted her music as she sat tinkering with her one of her earlier versions of Jarvis. One headphone was pulled out. It was only when she pulled out her headphone when she realized the room next to her seemed to be having a party of some sort. She turned to the clock; it read 1:30. "I should get to bed soon…" She yawned, thinking of her early classes._

* * *

"Sleep? You actually would plan for sleep?" Bruce asked surprisingly without thinking.

"It was before I had nightmares about Afghanistan and about flying through a giant portal and losing control of my suit." She retorted with a somewhat bitter edge. Bruce inwardly slapped himself.

* * *

"_What do you think, Jarvis?"_

_The small robot with a square base and an arm 2 feet long, moved its arm up and down to suggest it was nodding. "Next week I'm going to add voice capabilities. I'm thinking of going British with you. It seems fitting." She smiled to herself as she looked back at the computer sitting next to her. She designed it herself for portability and functioning purposes. A knock on the door broke her concentration. She frowned, not expecting any form of company._

_When she opened the door she found a familiar figure. He was looking at the ground. "Hey, sorry to bother you. I don't live next door but their my friends and-" He paused when he looked up to find the girl from earlier in the week. A smile curved on his face._

"_We meet again." He grinned._

"_I suppose so…"There was something different in the way James looked at her. She was sued to the malicious looks from the kids in high school and the looks from the college kids that spoke volumes about how they felt. It was really the kids that had somewhat of the brains and a lot of the money that hated her for obvious reasons. But for some reason James didn't look at her like that. It dawned on Natasha that the look he was sincere._

_She hadn't experienced such a look in a long time. _

"_I don't feel as bad for asking now that I know it's you next door. My roomates usually have wild parties Friday nights which is when I head over here but my friends next door seem to like to do that same thing and I was wondering maybe if I could chill here so I could get some work done?"_

_Natasha blinked. An attractive male was knocking on her door asking if he could use her room to study. Which meant he was fine with her company. But then again, an attractive __**college **__boy was at her door. Before leaving the mansion for college, one of the maids pulled her aside to warn her about such things. The maid knew neither of her parents would do so. On one hand, the maid made a good point. On the other hand, it wasn't that she was all that attractive. The guy in front of her was probably 18. She was 15 year old with big glasses, no make up and her hair pulled up. She didn't even have a decent set of boobs. It wasn't like he'd try anything on someone like her._

"_Sure. Come in." She answered as she walked into the room, James following behind her. The room had mainly red décor. The wall had vintage posters of Captain America. Beneath her bed she had her materials and a hidden box of comic books that she had once found in her father's lab. "I like the whole vintage thing you have going." He mentioned as he dropped his bag on the ground. He glanced over to the desk. "You play?" He asked, referencing the violin sitting idly on the desk._

* * *

"I didn't know that you played." Bruce said more to himself than anyone. "Who taught you?" Levyison questioned. Natasha held a bittersweet smile.

"Jarvis."

* * *

"_It helps me concentrate, Rhodey." She nodded, without paying him much attention._

"_It's actually Rhodes." He paused, She was about to apologize but he spoke up before she could. "But you can call me that. I like the way it sounds." She didn't look up, but her thoughts were once again distracted. She didn't know what to make of his tone. He wasn't flirting with her. That much she knew. Maybe he was taking pity on her because of the whole bullying thing. She inwardly sighed, not knowing what to think of the guy on her dorm room floor. As she concentrated, Rhodey glanced up and took note of the mechanism with the arm, as well as the small computer. His eyes slightly widened, dying to ask what it was but he held his tongue._

_And Natasha was thankful for that._

_The two had been sitting for an hour or so when a grumbling sound broke the silence. Natasha glanced down at her stomach, as did Rhodey. "Hungry much?" He chuckled. Natasha frowned more at herself than at him. "I forgot to eat dinner." She had been concentrating on the programs on her computer she hadn't really realized it._

"Some habits never die."

"_I'll buy this time. As a thanks." He said as he dialed the number on the Friday night they'd repeat the same process, except switching on who would pay._

"So you two became friends after that?" Bruce inquired.

"Well, we had our bumps in the road…"

_Winter break was about to begin as Natasha sat in her bedroom. "I think I've got the speech program down." She said aloud as she looked proudly at Jarvis. "Quite right, Miss Stark." The voice replied back to her. Before she could continue to revel in her work, Rhodey barged into the room. "Rhodey, what's-" He interrupted her before she could finish._

"_Why didn't you tell me?" Natasha gave him a puzzled look, signaling she didn't know what he was referring to. "Natasha. Natasha Stark. Daughter of Howard Stark. That kind of thing tends to be important, you? It'd be pretty cool if I knew who my friend actually was."_

_He continued on, but Natasha kind of tuned him out. She sat wide eyes on her bed. Her mind focused on one word. "Friend". She didn't have friends, at least she didn't think she did. Obi was her friend, but he only talked to her every once in a while. Jarvis was her friend, but even then that was a long time ago, excluding her invention made in honor of the real Jarvis. Rhodey stopped once he saw the look on her face. He was about to tell her forget it until she spoke up._

"_I'm sorry."_

_Rhodey gave her a surprised look, not expecting an apology to be in the young genius's vocabulary. She was arrogant, snarky, and prideful when in private company. "I'm sorry, it's just… Howard's always been there trying to puppet my every move. Stark being a name I'm branded with. Most people try to use me, which I've been trying to not fall for. They either use me or bully me. It was nice for a change. Being just Natasha."_

_Rhodey sighed, glancing at the clock before looking back at her. "Telling each other these things, it's what friends do. I have to go but I'll be back for pizza night." He walked out of the door before Natasha could say anything. Natasha stared at the door. "Friends…" She turned to Jarvis, not expecting a response. She smiled subtly to herself. "Interesting."_

"It was only a little bit later that things started to actually get interesting."

"How much later?" Levyison questioned. Natasha thought to herself before answering.

"I was 18. So three years later."

**1. Remember that Jarvis was actually a person in Tony (Natasha) Stark's life; he was their butler when Tony (Natasha Stark) was younger.**

**2. I think that's an adequate enough of writing I did. Hope you enjoyed it. Remember I love hearing what you think about things, so review down below! I like writing Rhodey and Stark's history a lot; I don't think it was touched up on how they became so close in the films so I'm kind of glad I have a lot of room to make things up as I go. And I will be attempting to write scenes of Levyison and the others, meaning Thor, Captain, Barton and Romanoff. Attempting being the key word.**

**Next Chapter: Continuation of Rhodey's friendship and a confrontation between 2 characters.**


	10. Chapter 10: Helpless

"Over the course of those years we hung out a lot; I actually had a friend.. It was weird, really." Natasha Stark paused thoughtfully before continuing. "He introduced me to some of his friends too, but they didn't compare to Rhodey. Rhodey helped the bullying stop too. Before I realized it he had become my best friend, if you don't count Jarvis."

"The day was November 9th, 2003…"

* * *

_Natasha's phone rang as she began to turn off her computer. She answered on the second ring. "You've reached the phone of-"_

"_Nat, don't give me that crap." Rhodey's voice answered on the other side of the phone before she could continue. She smirked. "What do you want, Rhodey? Aren't you supposed to be doing whatever 22 year olds do?" She put the phone on speaker as she stood in front of her mirror to clean her glasses. "I am, as a matter of fact, which means I'm getting ready for that surprise party some of my friends are throwing." He paused, waiting for some form of reply. He didn't get one. He sighed. _

"_Which means, I kind of want my best friend to be there."_

_She blinked, not expecting his last phrase. "But you know I don't do parties, something usually stupid happens there. There's drinking and people thinking they can do anything when they can't because they're so intoxicated." She didn't like to sound like a buzz kill but she spoke from experience. Having seen her parents drunk at some of their house parties was enough to turn her off from the idea._

"_Please? Come on, Allison said she was already heading your way to pick you up. Look I've got to go but I expect to see you there." He hung up before she could protest any further. She turned to Jarvis where he sat quietly on her desk. She looked up outside of her window. The leaves had changed into hues of reds, browns, and yellows. "Hmmmm…" _

"_Is there something wrong, Miss Stark?" Jarvis replied dutifully._

"_I didn't notice before…" She said softly. _

"_Notice what?"_

"_When I was younger, it was just me and then everybody else. At some point, You joined my side, but…" She paused, placing her head to lean on the palm of her hand. "At some point, it wasn't just us anymore. Other people entered our world without us realizing it." She noticed a red car parking in the lot as the girl she knew as Allison popped out eagerly._

"_I wonder how he did that…" She questioned aloud, not wanting an answer from Jarvis._

_Allison reached her door in record time as she barged into the unlocked room. "Natasha! I'm here to get you ready." She grinned widely at the stoic 18 year old that sat by her window. "It's just normal clothing, no?" Natasha questioned._

"_No, no, no. You're dressing like an 18 year old girl instead of a hobo that never leaves her room." Natasha's eye twitched somewhat, not wanting to dignify the statement with a response. "Look, as much as you hate to notice, you've gotten hotter over the last 3 years. Tis the gift of being a woman. You've gotten a chest and the butt to match and as one of your only girly friends, I'm going to make you be as girly as can be for at least one night."_

_She stood with her arms across her chest as Natasha sighed. "But… Rhodey doesn't care how I go to this thing. He just wants me there." Allison rolled her eyes. A disgruntled look appeared on her face. "For a kid genius you're really oblivious."_

"_Oblivious?"_

_Allison took Natasha by the arm and pulled her into the bathroom. It would be 2 hours until they would leave the dorm for the party._

* * *

"I'm starting not to like where this is heading." Bruce interrupted as he swallowed to relieve his dry throat. "There were multiple ways that night could have gone…"

* * *

_It was 8:30 already and Rhodey still hadn't seen Natasha. What he presumed would be a party of 20 max was a party of 60 and over at his friend's house. He came to the conclusion that people must have just invited other people._

_He had had alcohol at this point and his vision as only somewhat affected. He put his cup down on the table as he noticed a girl who looked oddly like Allison from behind. "Hey Allison, where is-"_

_He stopped mid sentence as the girl turned around. Natasha Stark stared wide eyed at Rhodey as he mirrored the same expression. "Natasha?" Allison had made her dump the glasses for contact and had placed light make up on her face. Her hair was let down and curled naturally at the tips. She wore jean shorts and a red top. Simple enough for Natasha and approved by Allison. "Did Allison do this to you? I swear I'm going to kill her." He chuckled jokingly as Natasha offered up a faint smile. "It's fine. It was kind of fun anyway." He returned the smile. "Also, Rhodey." She held up her red cup that Allison had handed to her._

"_Happy Birthday."_

* * *

Bruce gave her a knowing look. He knew what would happen next. "I didn't realize what I had been drinking. The smell of smoke and food covered up the alcohol smell. It was my first time drinking though, so I didn't know the taste of it either. Had Rhodey been completely sober he would have stopped me right there and then."

"How many did you have to drink?"

"Cups? About 5. Which is enough to get a young Natasha Stark drunk. I don't remember a lot of things from that night. But I remembered the important things."

* * *

_A few more hours had passed, leaving the clock to say it was around midnight. The party had still been going strong. It took Natasha a little while to find Rhodey. He was out on the balcony finishing off his last drink. He had officially reached drunk. "Rhodey!" She laughed as she called his name. Rhodey, having been drunk before, had only the slight conscious to remember that it wasn't normal to hear Natasha sound like that. She came up happily to him. She held up a slice of cake with a candle on top. _

"_You missed blowing out your candles." She grinned widely. Rhodey looked from her to the cake and gave his own smile. "Thanks, Nat." He paused, and then blew out the solitary candle. She held her happy expression and Rhodey frowned as his unstable thoughts finally connected together. He placed the cake down on a patio table._

"_Natasha, are you drunk?"_

"_Drunk? Of course I'm not drunk!" She playfully pushed his chest but instead caused her own balance to mess up. Rhodey was ready to catch her but she caught herself. "See, I'm perfectly fine." Rhodey sighed. He should sober up so he could make sure she got back safe. Her eyes widened, as if she had just thought of something. "I almost forgot. Your birthday gift!"_

"_Natasha, you didn't have to-"He didn't finish his sentence. She had placed her lips on his without warning. She lingered for a few seconds before giving space between the two. Rhodey eyes, widened in shock. "Natasha, why did you just kiss me?"_

"_An hour ago Allison said it'd be the best gift."Rhodey held an angry look for a moment before Natasha continued. "But also I did because I like you." He blinked in surprise. "I didn't realize it at first because I didn't know what it was like to like someone. It seemed reckless and stupid to do that kind of thing but after talking with Jarvis and-" She continued on a tangent._

"_You don't shut up when you're drunk…" he chuckled. She continued, not having heard him._

"_Nat." He said her name louder, but she didn't respond. Rhodey lifted his hand to push a strand of hair behind her ear. She stopped at the touch of his hand on her cheek. "What are you doing?" She asked dubiously._

_He kissed her, and it was all the answer that she needed._

* * *

"I can't tell who is worse. Drunk Stark. Young and drunk Stark. Or Young Stark." Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose. "I won't go on from there because what happened was both because we were drunk. He kissed me back and we went upstairs and we slept together. Simple as that."

"What happened the morning after?" Levyison smirked with that notable gleam of mischief in his eyes. Natasha returned the smirk.

* * *

_Natasha sat up in a rush, immediately regretting it as the blood rushed to her head. She had a massive headache forming as she threw her head in to her pillow, shitting her eyes slightly. She clutched tightly onto her comforter that was within reach, hoping to sleep off the throbbing pain in her head. She felt an arm move across her waist and pull her closer. Her eyes shot open, recollecting everything._

_Rhodey, who was slightly awake, felt her body go rigid. "You're awake."_

_He removed his arm from her and sat up slowly himself. It took Natasha a moment to realize she was nearly naked with the exception of undergarments. She glanced over at Rhodey who was shirtless. She remembered vaguely putting some clothing back on after they had finished._

"_I suppose so…" She sat up, stretching her legs under the bed and briefly her arms. "It's about 8 in the morning." Natasha mumbled as she realized not only was she not wearing glasses but that she could see just fine. Contacts. She mentally slapped herself. _

"_It was a mistake."_

_The two of them stopped realizing there wasn't an echo in the room and that they had both said the same thing at the same time. Rhodey sighed in relief. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have taken advantage of you like that." Natasha shook her head. "Rhodey, don't. I remember what I did and if anything being drunk just gave me the courage to do what I really wanted. I think though that if we learned anything last night it was that…. How do I put this…" She pressed her lips firmly together._

"_It was fantastic." Rhodey added._

"_Oh definitely. No argument there." Natasha inserted. "But there wasn't this… spark that I think should have been there. And I think that might be because I understand now that we should be friends."_

"_Exactly. I feel the same way." He chuckled. "This doesn't put a damper on our friendship, right?"_

"_Of course not." Natasha sighed. Natasha slid herself out of the bed as she looked for her clothing. She threw Rhodey his clothing as she came across it. "Also Rhodey…"_

"_Hmmm?" He glanced up after he slid on his shirt._

"_I'm glad you were my first." She smiled one of those few genuine smiles that only Rhodey would see. It'd be a long time until someone else would see them._

* * *

"You stayed friends right after it?" Bruce was perplexed at the social relations that Natasha Stark was able to create. She nodded. "Nothing really changed after that. I dressed like I normally did and there were a few guys that'd hit on me after because they saw me at the party but I was content with being the way I was before. Invisible and out of the way."

"Then if sex and getting drunk didn't turn you into a party girl, what did?" Levyison's questioned burned through Bruce's mind. He wanted to know the very answer to that question. Natasha Stark's expression darkened somewhat.

* * *

"_You're graduating already?" Allison sat shocked in Natasha's room. Rhodey seemed to know all about it already. Winter had passed since Rhodey's birthday and time said it was June. Natasha was 19. "You seem shocked." She looked up. She hadn't meant the statement to come off as rude but it was what it was. Natasha had assumed it was only expected of her. "What are you graduating with?"_

"_Electrical Engineering and Physics." Rhodey answered for her._

* * *

"Wasn't Reed Richards also at MIT?" Bruce questioned as a side thought. "He was. We worked together on a few things but we didn't hold a longstanding friendship in college."

* * *

_The day turned into the next and Natasha graduated. "I'm so proud of you." Obadiah hugged her tightly. Natasha hugged back. "Where are Dad and Mom?" She questioned somewhat hopefully, not seeing them around. Obi frowned. "I didn't see them when I landed. They might be running a bit late. You know how it is with your father." Obi added, trying to get her off the subject._

_Rhodey had said his goodbyes to Natasha, promising to keep in contact with her. She had leave immediately to work with Obadiah on her working in the company. She had told Rhodey about it long ago but he hadn't thought the day would come so quickly. A week had passed since Rhodey had last seen or heard from Natasha. He turned on the TV._

"_You should put on Crash! It's a great movie." Allison smiled as she stopped him from changing the channel. "I'm not in the mood for a movie." Rhodey frowned as he continued to flip through channels. The news caught his eye. "Thanks Ted." The brunette smiled at her coworker. "In other news, tragedy strikes Stark Enterprises as reports are coming in that both Howard and Maria Stark were both killed upon impact in a fatal car accident early Tuesday morning." It was a Thursday. It had been two days. "This event leaves many questions open about what will happen to Howard Stark's legacy." Rhodey's blood went cold as two pictures of Howard and Maria disappeared and were replaced by a picture of Natasha and a man labeled to be Obadiah Stane. "Currently the Board of Directors is discussing who should be next in line for the company: the young girl genius who recently graduated MIT with two masters degrees at the young age of 19 or should it be Howard's right hand man? Either way, it seems that the weapons manufacturing company has a lot to discuss in the upcoming days."_

_Rhodey tuned out everything else as he reached for a phone and dialed for Natasha. On the second ring, the phone picked up. But it wasn't Natasha._

"_Hello?" A man's voice came through. "Hello sir, I was wondering if I could speak with Natasha Stark. My name is James Rhodes. I'm a friend from college." The man seemed to sigh. "This is Obadiah Stane. It seems she hasn't come out of her room since what happened. I'm assuming that's what you're calling about?"_

* * *

"Rhodey would later tell me how he found out. I hadn't come out of my room after I had heard. I was shocked and angry and a whole mixture of things I couldn't explain. I had all these emotions building up and I didn't know what to do. It took me two weeks to realize what I should do."

"You went out partying." Bruce connected. Natasha nodded. "Working on inventions reminded me of Howard and how angry he'd make me and playing the violin reminded me of Jarvis and being in the house at all reminded me of Maria. I remembered how it felt being drunk and it was looking like a far better feeling than whatever it was I was feeling then and there." Her face couldn't be read. She really was tired enough to the point where she couldn't hide behind lightly played sarcasm.

"Banner, if you'd let me have a minute or two to speak with Natasha alone for a minute…" Levyison looked up at Bruce. He was hesitant but he nodded anyway, with a lingering look at Natasha he walked out. He'd talk to her later, but he understood that there was a time and place for everything. Bruce Banner walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. He turned to his left to see Steve Rogers sitting on the couch. He stood up.

Steve had been waiting for him. "Can we talk, Doctor Banner?"

Bruce frowned, unsure of what the soldier would want to speak with him about. He gave a faint smile, trying to ease the anxious look Steve held.

"About what, Steve?"

* * *

Levyison and Natasha sat in silence for a few minutes. Neither Natasha not Levyison moved. Levyison broke the silence. "You said you had nightmares. Afghanistan, the portal. Tell me about that."

She glanced at him with curious eyes before sitting up once more. She stood up and approached the coffee maker on the other side of the room, pouring herself and him a cup. She added her crème and sugar and did so with his. She placed his cup down as she took a sip of hers. She looked him the eye.

"Loki…"

"Yes?" He replied softly.

"When I fell from the portal, I was in free fall. You have a horrified feeling in the pit of your stomach at first and then you become used to it. You begin to feel breathless as you slowly give in because… because you don't know what else to do. You can't do anything else. You're one hundred percent helpless. Has that ever happened to you…?"

His jaw clenched as he took a deep breath. "The moment I was separated from Thor and Odin. They tried to bring me back up but I let go. I let myself fall into the vastness that was the various different realms." He paused, meeting her gaze. He shuttered slightly at the thought as he saw the reason she poured him a cup as well. The warm liquid travelled down, calming him instantly. He spoke softly.

"I think about that moment every day..."

* * *

_Next Chapter: Steve and Bruce's talk, Steve has an appointment, and Thor and Stark have a heart to heart._

* * *

**AN: Woah now, 2 chapters within days of each other? Haven't done that in a while. So again, I like when you tell me guys what you thought, thoughts, concerns, etc. You know, so I know if I'm doing a decent job here or not. I've had a few people ask me what I'm doing with my other stories.**

**ATP: The plot I haven't figured it out but if you couldn't tell, it's basically a LOT of fluff and the problem I'm having is trying to figure out multiple fluff moments to have in the red envelopes Steve is finding. I already know what I want the climax to be but I'd like to have something planned before I write things.**

**Iron Mischief: I am building up a relationship set up in this story that will, like I said, act as a branch for the Loki/fem!Tony. In ATP, they were all buddy buddy and snarky together and it was like a brotp. In this one I want to connect with their issues because they do share a lot of the same issues. And then in Iron Mischief I'd like to bring all of that together. I know what I want the plot to be already it's just character practice for me I guess.**


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